


I See Right Through You

by protectchatnoir



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Breaking and Entering, College Setting, Gen, Ghost Hunting AU, Hunk is Nervous, Lance is Awkward, Lotor is dramatic, Mild Language, Mild angst I guess, Panic Attacks, Shiro and Allura are just kind of done with these idiots, also I'm leaving it as teen and up for now because I'm pretty sure it's fine, also major character death because, but... ghosts, goshdangit Keith, halfhearted and somewhat ironic Voltron references, it's not gonna be particularly romance based but the ships are there, it's not really creepy enough to be rated mature, keith is keith, kinda underage drinking I guess coz there are like parties n stuff, or maybe less mild in places, pidge is sarcastic, so it might get a bit creepy I guess, so yeah rated for language and slightly creepy stuff, some characters are, they/them pronouns for Pidge, this is my attempt at being funny, well.... ghosts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-03-12 18:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13553403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protectchatnoir/pseuds/protectchatnoir
Summary: PIDGE: the Paranormal Investigations Department (of Ghosts and Exorcism).Yes, of course Pidge named it.They're not really exorcists. That last bit's only there to make it spell PIDGE.orShiro and Pidge are fascinated by the paranormal, Keith needs to practise his photography skills, Lance is just in it for the ride and Hunk got dragged along against his will. All in all, they're relatively normal.Oh, apart from the fact that they hunt ghosts.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He allowed himself to be dragged through unfamiliar, winding corridors which seemed to get narrower and narrower until they reached the foot of a twisting staircase at the end of the corridor. Either side of the stairs were walls. There was no exit, other than the way they'd come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyeee, my first Voltron fic! I'm super excited to be finally posting this coz I've had a blast writing it, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it! :D 
> 
> So yeah, hope you like chapter one! :)
> 
> **this chapter includes mild creepy content and alcohol consumption**

Chapter One

 

"Is Lance okay? Pidge said he got hurt?"

"Eh. I think he took a blow to the ego when I elbowed him in the face."

"You did _what?"_

"I elbowed him-"

"Yeah, I- I get it. Keith, _why did you elbow Lance in the face?"_

"I didn't _mean_  to. It was more his fault, actually. He walked into my elbow."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

Keith heard Shiro sigh over their radio system.

"Wh- how did he walk into your elbow? How- how does someone- how could someone _possibly_ \- you know what? Nevermind. I'm going to go and see if he's okay. _Is_  he okay? Was it bad?"

"Nah... he's not hurt. Only his pride. And, uh, maybe his face. A little bit. He's on the front porch."

_"Nice."_

Shrugging his jacket over his shoulders, Keith moved further down the corridor. It was cold. Always a good sign.

"Hunk, you got anything yet?" he muttered into the radio. 

There was a pause before he heard Hunk's reply.

"Not yet... Keith, I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

"Yeah, you say that every single time. Pidge, where are you?"

"Ground floor, about to head upstairs. Hunk, I need you up here, stat- I'm getting a reading."

"Oh jeez. Sure, I'll- I'll be up in a sec. Can you get Shiro to bring Lance back in? I'd feel a lot more comfortable if-"

Shiro's voice interrupted Hunk. "Already on it. We're coming in the front."

"Are you _crazy?"_ Keith hissed. "Sitting on the porch is one thing, but going in the front? That's _mad!_ The owner's gonna find out!"

"Ha. You sound like Hunk," Lance chuckled, voice slightly slurred from his previous face injury. "We're coming in the front! Don't worry, we won't get caught."

 

" _Alright_. So Lance and I are heading in the front. Hunk, get to Pidge- _Lance, careful, you're going to set off the alarms!-_  get to Pidge and wait for us on the first floor. Keith, just keep heading towards us from the back to the centre of the house, okay?"

"Fine." Keith sighed and flicked his radio off. He stopped to reach into his bag and get his night vision headset out, then pulled it over his head. The further into to the house he got, the darker it seemed to get. And it would be useful if he could actually _see_.

Having reached a three-way fork in the corridor, he paused, unsure of which way to go, before switching the radio back on.

"Jeez, this house is big. Shiro, which way?"

"Hang tight, we'll be with you in a second."

Less than a minute passed before two figures came running towards him through the murky, green-tinted shadows. Keith shuddered; the night vision was seriously trippy. It made him apprehensive- like he was a secret agent, or something. It was weird.

Because- sneaking around in a stranger's disused second home wasn't weird. Being part of a supernatural investigations organisation wasn't weird. 

 

Totally wasn't weird.

 

His two friends reached him and stopped to catch their breath.

"We need to find the nearest staircase and get up to Hunk and Pidge. Let's move!" Shiro hissed. "Come on, go, go, go!"

 

Keith followed with Lance, a few paces behind the leader of their group. 

"Hurry up, Keith!" Lance cried, grabbing his wrist and dragging him down the hall. "I don't wanna miss out on all the fun stuff!"

"I see your face is fine," he muttered as a respond, ducking to avoid a cobweb which dangled from the ceiling.

"No thanks to _you_. Come _on!"_

 

He allowed himself to be dragged through unfamiliar, winding corridors which seemed to get narrower and narrower until they reached the foot of a twisting staircase at the end of the corridor. Either side of the stairs were walls. There was no exit, other than the way they'd come. Noticing Shiro's figure disappearing up the stairs and into the darkness, Keith sighed.

"I guess we're going up."

Finally releasing his grip from the older boy's wrist, Lance took the first few steps slowly. They were carpeted in a sort of grey colour- which may or may not have once been white- and creaked loudly. 

"Pfft, Keith, don't be a scaredy cat. You're usually fine with this sort of thing! What's different about today?"

 

Trading in his night vision goggles for a flashlight- seriously, the green glow was _uncanny_ \- Keith rested his hand on the mouldy wooden bannister which flaked black paint, thought better of it, and followed Lance up.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I know I'm usually _fine_ , but we don't usually _break and enter."_

"We didn't break! Pidge got a key cut. We just entered."

"You know what I mean!" Keith snapped in return. "We tend to ask permission. This is probably violating, like, six laws. It's _trespassing_ , Lance!"

"The owner wouldn't care. This place is a dump!"

A voice crackled in their ears. It was Hunk.

"Guys, guys! Hurry up, there's a-" 

The radio cut off with a screech resembling microphone feedback.  The two boys exchanged a panicked glance and chased after Shiro up the stairs.

When they reached the top, Keith swung his flashlight around, revealing a long hallway branching out in both directions. Shiro was nowhere to be seen.

"Quiznak," Lance muttered. "Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?"

Pidge snorted over the radio. "What does that even mean?"

"It's a Lord Of The Rings quote!"

"I'm not _stupid_. I meant 'quiznak'. And it's left."

"Ha, should've guessed. It was left to Mordor as well."

Lance and Keith turned left and bolted down the hall, trying not to trip on loose floorboards, and jumping over the random chunks of plaster which littered the floor. They skidded to a halt at a heavy wooden door.

"Oh, bingo," Keith whispered. "Come on!" 

He gave the door a shove and it swung open to reveal a large room, dust floating eerily in the shaft of the late evening's dusky light, which crept in through a crack in the boarded windows. The three other members of their party stood to one side of the room. Similar to the stairs, the floor was covered with an off white and slightly mouldy-looking carpet. There was no furniture other than an old wooden bed frame with no mattress, and the windows were sealed off with rotting wooden planks and rusted nails.

Hunk was kneeling on the floor, hands covering his face. He was breathing heavily.

"He's having another panic attack," Pidge informed them, patting Hunk's shoulder apathetically.

Keith folded his arms and moved to stand beside Shiro. It was _really_ cold now.  "What's going on? Other than Hunk's panic attack, I mean. Is there..?"

Removing one hand from his face, Hunk lifted a shaky finger to point at the bed frame.

 

"Keith, can you grab the EVP recorder out of my bag?" Pidge instructed, setting up their thermal camera. "Hunk, I need you to talk me through everything you can see. Just- tell me what you see."

 

Hunk moaned. "There's a kid sitting on the bed. Pidge, he's looking at me! I don't like it!"

 

Sighing, Keith pulled the EVP out of the bag and handed it to Pidge. It was typical Hunk to freak out. 

"Do you need the EMF?" 

 

Pidge shook their head. "Uh uh, we're good. Well, most of us are." They shot Hunk a dirty look. "It's just a kid, Hunk, they're not gonna hurt you. Technically they can't hurt you anyway, seeing as they're _not on the physical plain of existence_. There isn't even enough corporeality for us to _see_ them, _let alone for them to touch us."_

 

"But  _I_ can see them!" Hunk whimpered. "I can see him and he can see me and that probably means  he can touch me _and if he can touch me he can kill me!-"_

 

Lance groaned. "Pidge, are you nearly done with the camera thingy? I wanna _see_ the thing. It's so unfair that Hunk can see them and we can't."

 

"Yes, it is unfair," Hunk agreed. "It's very, very unfair. And, yeah, are you nearly done? Coz I wanna go. I don't want to be here. Let's go. Please can we go?"

 

Pidge ignored both of them and handed the thermal camera to Shiro.

"Here, I'm done with the thermal video. Can you take care of the Cybershot on infrared?"

Shiro nodded. "On it." He took the considerably smaller camera and snapped a few pictures of the bed frame.

 

"Guys, do we need any other pictures?" Keith asked, pulling another camera out of the bag. "I can get some on the Canon and mess with it later."

 

"Sure. Don't worry if it's dark, hopefully something'll still show up," Shiro replied. 

 

He nodded in agreement and took some photos.

"Okay. Are we done?"

 

"Yeah, I'm with Keith. Are we done? Can we be done? Like, now? Please?"

 

Pidge glared at Hunk and started repacking their bag.

"We're done in _this_  room. But this house is huge- there's bound to be a ton more paranormal activity, so to speak. Heh. I want to go round the other rooms before we wrap up."

 

Yawning, Lance tapped his foot in boredom. "Why don't we come back tomorrow? I hear there's a cool party going on near-"

 

"Wait, wait- I don't want to go to a party," Hunk interrupted. "I thought we were-"

 

"Wait! Wait. We are  _not_  coming back tomorrow! Lance, I already told you, I'm not happy about _breaking in_ \- we are not doing it again tomorrow, unless you want to get us arrest-"

 

" _Quiet!_ " Shiro stepped in. "Quit arguing! Pidge, it's getting dark outside, so we should be heading home. But we can come back tomorrow- _don't argue, Keith_ \- and gather more readings. Okay?"

 

Pidge nodded, Lance smirked. Keith frowned. Hunk raised his hand.

"Uh, I have a question. Lance, do we have to go to that party? I kinda thought we could just hang out and, y'know, watch TV?"

 

"Fine. But I'm picking the film. And I'm _not_ going to pick some lame chick flick. I know! We can watch The Sixth Sense!"

 

"Oh, no. No way. You know I _hate_  that movie. God, I hate it! No! Never again! Fine, have it your way, we'll go to your dumb party."

 

 _"I see dead people!"_ Lance teased in a spooky voice, and Hunk squealed.

 

Rolling his eyes, Keith left the room. Totally typical for his friends to start arguing about pointless things; typical for them to forget what was right in front of them. They forgot about the paranormal activity going on right beneath their noses. They forgot why they were here. It was quite amusing, actually, how fast Hunk could go from complete panic attack to discussing their plans for the evening. And it was nice that his teammates- his friends- could find time to spend together, outside of their expeditions. Keith didn't often join in with that; usually he'd just.. go back to his house, do some homework or read a book, maybe go to bed early, get some extra sleep. Or lie awake all night, depending on whether his roommate decided to sing Disney songs until early morning. To be fair, Let It Go was a little easier to tolerate than the opera his roommate had opted for during the past few nights.

And then he would get up the next morning, probably exhausted, and continue the same old routines. He wasn't really interested in the parties and movie nights his friends loved so much, so what did it matter? They probably didn't want him there anyway. They probably didn't see him as a friend; just someone on their team. He didn't matter to them.

He leant his head against the crumbling wall and stayed there for a little while, eyes closed and lost in his thoughts, until a friendly voice brought him back to reality. 

"You okay, Keith?"

 

Raising his head he found himself looking into Shiro's grey eyes. He looked concerned. 

"Their arguing is totally annoying, right? Let's face it, we all know Lance loves chick flicks."

 

Keith snorted and grinned.  "Totally."

Cursing himself for not thinking of something better to say, he just stood slightly awkwardly, half leaning against the wall.

 

"Are you alright?" Shiro asked, the slight worried look creeping back into his face.

 

He shrugged. "Sure. Just tired. I didn't get enough sleep last night."

 

Well it wasn't _exactly_  a lie. He'd gone to bed early and intended to get a good night's sleep. But unfortunately for him, his _roommate_ had other plans. 

 

His teammate nodded, satisfied with that answer, and patted his shoulder. "Okay. Make sure you get some sleep tonight, hm? Well, it's getting late- I should get going. Have a nice evening!"

 

Smiling, Shiro turned, starting walking down the corridor.

 

"Uh, yeah, you too," Keith stammered. As soon as Shiro was down the stairs and out of sight, he allowed himself to groan and slam his head against the wall- causing it to rain scraps of plaster onto the floor and, unfortunately, his hair. _Ugh._  Why was he so stupid and- and _awkward?_

 Normally he was fine with his friends- teammates- but if any of them ever asked if he was feeling okay he just.. shut down. Suddenly had no idea how to respond. And why was Shiro so casual and friendly? He made it seem so easy to talk, and Keith was just plain awkward.

 

Because, along with still feeling uncertain as to how he saw the others (were they friends, or teammates?), he also wasn't one hundred percent sure if he should _trust_  them yet. Obviously there was an element of trust naturally built between him and his friends- teammates?- friends(?), Keith wasn't sure if he was ready to fully let his guard down. Okay, he trusted them- a lot, for that matter. But when Shiro gave him that kind, concerned look, or when Lance stopped the seemingly ceaseless flow of banter for just a moment to check he was alright- or when Pidge or Hunk asked him if he wanted to join them for lunch-...

 

Sometimes it was just..

 

Sometimes it was hard to tell whether they actually cared, or if they were being polite.

 

Because maybe the others saw Keith as a friend. Maybe they did care? 

 

But there was still an uncertainty lying beneath their pre-built trust. 

 

What if they were just being polite? 

 

What if, to them, he was nothing more than a teammate?

 

***

 

When they arrived at the party, it was fully dark outside, and _very_ busy. The house was _huge_ , and there were people everywhere- some he recognised, most he didn't. Mostly they were hanging around outside, near the gravel driveway, but a few were screeching and jumping in the brightly lit pool.

 

"Oh, Lance? Are you sure this isn't invite only? The house looks... kinda _fancy_. Y'know what I'm saying?"

 

"Don't _worry,_ dude! It's totally fine. Let's go in."

 

"Whoa, wait, you know how I said the house looks kinda fancy? Lancepleasedon'tmakemegointhere!"

 

Lance snorted. "Hunk. Are you afraid of a _house?"_

 

"I am not _afraid_. I am _intimidated_. C'mon, man, we live in a cheap, crappy apartment with no hot water and a punk band living right next door. Look at this! It's like a freaking mansion. The house next door is like... fifty metres away! There is a pool! They probably have servants! The front door is probably older than me! Heck, the whole house is probably older than me! They probably even _named_ the house. I mean, who even does that any more? _Time to panic!"_

 

"We should've arrived earlier. There are so many people!" Lance speculated.

 

"Yes! Yes, yes, lots of people. Let's go, there are far, _far_ too many people. We could still put a movie on, right? Order pizza? Yeah?"

 

"No. Hunk, we're going in. You're not going to leave me, are you?"

Spinning to face him, Lance shot Hunk his best puppy dog eyes, complete with a doleful pout. 

 

His friend sighed, glancing up at the now dark sky which was slowly clouding over. "Oh god, I hate when you do that. Why do you always have to guilt trip me into doing things? Fine, I'll come with you. But... are you sure we don't need an invite or something?"

 

"Nah, it's _fine_." 

The two began walking towards the front door, which was partly open. Dim light shone through the doorway illuminating the porch, shining on the two stone lions which appeared to be guarding the house. Lance shuddered; he was _sure_ those things were watching him. Loud pop music blasted from inside, draining the background noise of chatter and laughter.

 

"Hey, Hunk, you were right! They did name their house," he said, indicating to a fancy plaque beside the door. "'Castle of Lions'. Ha, what a stupid name for a house! They do realise it's not a castle, right?"

 

Hunk laughed uncertainly. "Sure. Uh, can we just go into the large, somewhat threatening 'Castle of _Lions'?"_

He added under his breath, "Y'know, the big, scary predator animals that _eat people?"_

 

"Pfft. I heard that. Lions don't _eat people."_

"Yeah, sure, _that's what the government wants you to believe."_

 

"-Plus, there aren't actual lions here. I'm going in. Are you coming?" Without waiting for an answer, Lance entered the house.

"Jeez," he muttered to himself. "Walking into a creepy haunted house? He's nervous. Sure, I get it. Walking into a perfectly fine occupied house with only living people and reeeally nice architecture? And he's _equally_ nervous. Everybody here is _alive_. Like, why the quiz-"

 

Wait.

Had he just noticed the _architecture?_

 

Lance rubbed his ears. Either the deafening music was making him funny in the head, or he was spending far too much time with Pidge. 

 

The architecture was pretty impressive, though. 

 

 _Definitely_ too much time with Pidge.

 

"Hey Lance."

 

He span around with a high pitched scream.

 _"Pidge?!_ What in the freshest heck are you doing here?"

 

"I know the host. She's a friend of mine. What are _you_ doing here? I mean, I knew you were going to a party. But if I'd known you were going to _this_ party, we could've come together. Not _together_ together, just together. But we are together. Here. Right now. So I guess it doesn't make much difference. Is Hunk here?"

 

Lance nodded. "Uh.. huh. He's..."

Looking around, it seemed Hunk had disappeared into the crowd of people. He was probably having a panic attack somewhere. Oh dear.

"He's somewhere."

 

"Oh, wonderful. You lost him, didn't you?" Pidge took a long sip from their bottle of... something.

 

"Pidge. Is that _alcohol?"_

 

They blinked at him innocently. "Hm?"

 

"I hope that drink isn't goshdanged alcoholic because you should not be drinking goshdanged alcohol."

 

Pidge shrugged and dodged out of the way as he tried to snatch the bottle from them. 

"Hey! Leave me alone, Lance."

 

"Nopenopenope, I'm not letting a flipping teenager year old drink alcohol. Not on _my_ watch. Gimme."

 

"Lance, _you're_ a teenager year old! And plus, it's probably lemonade." Pidge wrinkled their nose. "Kinda hand to tell. I'm gonna go ask Allura!"

 

Lance followed as they sauntered through the crowd away from him. 

"Wait, wait, Pidge!" he cried. "Wait, a- Laura who now? Wait for me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so that was chapter one!!! :D I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, I'd really appreciate it if you left a review :)
> 
> I'm @protectchatnoir on tumblr (I'm most active there) but if ya want Voltron content, go to @intergalacticspacelions :D 
> 
> Have a great week, see ya soon!! ;)
> 
> P.s. don't ask where I get my freaky ghost knowledge. You will never break me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk blinked in surprise as she stuck her hand out at him. Was he supposed to.. shake it? Eh. Judging by the huge house and the way she spoke and the implied expected handshake and the.. hors d'oeuvres... 
> 
> He'd say she was probably a little more... upper class than most people he knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually just winging it with chapter summaries because I can't think of anything clever sooo *shrug*
> 
> So yeah here is chapter two!! There are currently zero schedules for this, I'm just posting randomly *also shrug* buuuuuuut I'm kinda hoping to post a chapter every day, which will involve me writing a lot faster... hmm... maybe every other day? Ah whatever I'll figure it out xD 
> 
> Yeah I hope you like this chapter! :D 
> 
> ***this chapter contains partying ergo alcohol ergo Lance doing something ridiculous and embarrassing (I'm cruel, I know)***

Chapter Two

 

_Great._

 

He'd lost Lance. Or Lance had lost him, depending on how you looked at it. Either way, Hunk was lost. In a stranger's house- _or 'Castle', as its name stated_ \- with no Lance, no visable escape route, and no WiFi password.

 

Oh, as Lance would say, _quiznak._

 

He was standing in what appeared to be the kitchen, though it was hard to tell- what with the gloomy half-light and blaring music. Not to mentions the dozens of people swarming around him.

 

_Breathe, Hunk, breathe._

 

What would Lance do in this situation?

 

Find a girl. Right, of course. Apparently luck was on Hunk's side, because there was a relatively friendly looking girl sitting alone at a bar style kitchen counter. She look around their age, or maybe a little older.

He approached nervously and perched on the bar stool beside her.

 

"Umm, hey! Nice party, right?"

 

Was it, though? Hunk didn't have an awful lot of experience with parties; for all he knew, this one could have been as dull as anything. To his relief, though, the girl's face lit up with a huge beam.

 

"Oh, thank you! I'm so glad you're having a good time. Honestly, I was afraid it would be a total _flop_. You know, I'm a little out of the partying scene at the moment, if I'm being quite honest. And I thought perhaps the hors d'oeuvres were a little too... fancy, but they're going down well. We have pizza rolls as well! Would you like one?"

 

He let her ramble on for a minute or so before it finally clicked.

"Oh! You're the host, right? This is your house?"

 

She nodded, a few of her platinum blonde curls falling from her top knot. 

"Mmhm. Oh, I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Allura."

 

Hunk blinked in surprise as she stuck her hand out at him. Was he supposed to.. _shake_ it? Eh. Judging by the huge house and the way she spoke and the implied expected handshake and the.. _hors d'oeuvres..._

He'd say she was probably a little more... _upper class_ than most people he knew.

After a few seconds of him not shaking her hand she retracted it, a little awkwardly.

 

"Oh. Sorry. I'm just... really not used to shaking people's hands. You see, I'm from the 'dodgy' side of town, y'know what I'm saying?"

 

Oh dear _gosh_ , why had he brought _that_ up?

Duh. Duh. Duh. Duh. Duh. _Stupid_.

 

But, to his surprise, Allura giggled, her eyes shining with excitement. 

"Oh, really? How did that happen? Tell me about it?"

 

And, to even more of his surprise, Hunk found himself relaxing into the situation. Which was peculiar, seeing as he was almost always on the edge of an emotional breakdown whenever there were, like, _people_.

"Well, me and my friend Lance-"

He could practically _hear_ Pidge's voice: _it's 'my friend Lance and I', Hunk, not 'me and my friend Lance'. Lance and I. How many times do I have to tell you? Get your grammar right._

 

Oh, wait, he could hear their voice. "Just- _learn to grammar already_. Lance, I found him!" Pidge yelled over their shoulder. "Hey Allura. Neat party!"

 

"Pidge! I'm _so_ glad you could make it!"

 

Wait, wait, wait.

"You guys know each other?!"

 

"Pidge and I have book club together."

Hunk fought the urge to laugh. _Book club?!_ What the freshest heck-

 

"See, Hunk, is it really that difficult to use correct grammar? Allura just did it, why can't you?"

 

A distinct, high pitched scream sounded some way away.

"Oh, great, that's Lance. I'd better go get him before he breaks something. Catch you later!" Pidge paused to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Hunk, are you okay to stay here awhile? I'll be back with Lance in a-"

 

Another scream cut through the music, and what sounded like _'Jesus, is there chilli in this?'_

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you go do the Lance getting. Getting of the Lance. Get- just go, Pidge."

 

Pidge was already gone.

 

"So, anyway, as I was saying- my friend Lance and _I-"_

Allura snorted with laughter as he maybe made a teeny tiny dig at Pidge's obsession with grammar.

 

"We needed cheap accommodation- something that was relatively close to the school. And we ended up in a maybe, slightly, very dodgy area of town. In an apartment with no hot water-"

She laughed-

"Okay, it works sometimes, but it's temperamental at best."

 

"Good god, how do you cope?"

 

"Well, you get you get used to ice cold showers."

 

Allura was practically howling over the music now.

 

"I'm just kidding," he laughed. "There are public showers near where we live. Not ideal, but we have a budget- so, sacrifices, am I right? It's warm and private showers or mozzarella sticks, so we make do."

 

"Wait, wait, let me get this straight. You chose mozzarella sticks over warm, private showers?"

 

"Duh! I would sell my _soul_ for mozzarella sticks."

 

The two of them were now pretty much in fits of laughter. 

 

"So, you and Pidge know each other?"

 

"Uh, yeah, they go to the same college as Lance and me. We don't have any classes together, but we hang out in our free time. Pidge is really into astrophysics- so is Lance. I'm more into psychology. Don't get me wrong, space is cool. But also scary. That said, psychology can be scary. There's this one dude in my class called Slav. He's always going on about alternate realities and stuff. _Weird_. He reckons there's an alternate universe where we all fly in huge metal lions through space. Or some of us do. I've not quite figured that out yet."

 

He was pretty sure Allura was wiping away actual tears of laughter by this point. "Oh my _god,_ that is so _funny!"_

 

"I _know,_  right? Totally ridiculous. But yeah, anyways, mostly we know Pidge from out of school. We're in a kind of organisation thingy. Which is run by the college, but they don't fund it. Which sucks, because it means less money for useful things- like, I dunno, warm water or mozzarella sticks- and more money _wasted_ on EVP recorders and EM-something meter thingies. For a stupid hobby that I don't even _want_  to participate in, but I get _dragged_ along by my _freaky_  friends just because _I_ am the _lucky_  soul who was _cursed_ with the ability to-"

 

When he realised that she was no longer laughing, Hunk stopped speaking. She looked confused, definitely surprised, maybe a little intrigued, completely- was it his Hufflepuff t-shirt? Yeah, it was definitely the Hufflepuff t-shirt. Allura was put off by the Hufflepuff t-shirt. That was just plain _rude_. She should _not_ hate him just because of his Hufflepuff-ness. Hunk was _proud_ to be a Hufflepuff. And definitely not, maybe, completely a little self-concious about it because he'd had an existential crisis when he was thirteen trying to decide if he was Hufflepuff or Gryffindor and had grabbed a t-shirt at random to find himself a newly nominated Hufflepuff even though it was a fictional world and he literally did _not_ need to get so hung up about what stupid t-shirt he should buy to represent his personali-

 

"Sorry, did you say EVP? Isn't that the electronic voi- what's this organisation thing you're part of?"

 

"Oh, PIDGE?" 

He snorted. "Yeah, Pidge named it. After themself. Ha."

Hunk cleared his throat and adopted a serious tone.

"The Paranormal Investigations Department of Ghosts and Exorcism is... exactly what it sounds like. We're basically like those dudes from that show with the dog, except without that cool car."

 

Honestly it was a disgrace that he was pretending not to know the name of Scooby along with all the other characters in the show- including their backstories, of course, and voice actors- and calling the Mystery Machine 'that cool car'? Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful.

 

"Oh. So you're... exorcists?"

 

"Uh, something like that. But mainly we just take readings and stuff. The 'exorcism' is only really there to make it spell 'PIDGE'."

 

"Right. I take it Pidge is the leader of this.. group?"

 

"Actually, they're the founder. Pidge started the group. Shiro's the leader. He graduated a couple years ago and has all the ghost-y knowledge. And Pidge has all the science-y knowledge. And Shiro knows this dude called Keith who's doing a photography course at the college, so he got roped into it to do all the camera type stuff. And I got roped into it because I'm 'blessed' with the ability to see ghosts. Y'know that movie with the dude and the kid-"

 

"The Sixth Sense?"

 

Hunk suppressed a shudder. He _hated_  that movie.

 

"Yeah- 'I see dead people'- it's kinda like that. Except they don't look like dead people, exactly. More like how you'd expect ghosts to look, kinda fuzzy and see-through-ish. And Lance comes with us because he thinks it's fun. _Fun,_  I tell you. In my opinion it's _terrifying_. But each to their own, I guess."

 

Allura nodded slowly, taking it in. Was she freaked out? She was definitely freaked out.

 

"That's actually very fascinating. I'd be interested in meeting the rest of the group. I mean, if that's a thing that can, ah, happen?"

 

"Wait, you're not freaked out?"

 

She laughed. "Of course I'm not freaked out. I'm a medium actually, so I've had rather a lot of paranormal experience, so to speak."

 

"You're a _what?!"_

 

"A medium. It's somebody who can-"

 

"No, no, I know what a medium is, I just- I didn't- _what?!_ I mean, I'm surprised, that's all."

 

"Mm. Much like yourself, I didn't ask for the gift of mediumship, and it can be a little... _tedious_  at times, but I'm very lucky, I suppose."

 

"Wow, that's... wow. Wow. When was the first time you... when did you find out? About your.. gift?"

 

"I was nine years old- it was shortly after my father had died. I don't remember it exactly; all I know is that, when I woke up in my room, my mother told me she'd spoken to my father. Through me."

 

"Wow. That must've been..."

 

"Mm. Then my mother took me to see different people to find out what was going on- why had it happened? was it a one off?- and so forth. It took a few more... encounters with the, ah, deceased, before we realised what was going on. And from the age of ten I've been trying to understand and control my power- setting boundaries, blocking negative spirits, that kind of thing. Didn't help, of course, when my mother left. Technically she still lives here, but I haven't seen her for nearly half a year now, and when she does come back she hardly speaks to me.

  But I'm at the stage now where I am able to choose whether or not I want to allow a spirit to take control of my body, which makes it a lot less frightening. Also, I don't black out so much now, so I makes it a lot easier to... keep myself safe."

 

"God, it sounds like it has been... difficult. Are you afraid of them? The.. spirits?"

 

"Sometimes. Malevolent spirits can be terrifying. There have been a few times when I'm uncertain if I can maintain control of my body."

 

"Sounds scary. Honestly, I've been terrified of ghosts since I started seeing them. No, since _before_ I started seeing them."

 

"When did you? First see a ghost?"

 

"Well, I was six-"

 

_"Six?"_

 

"Yeah. I was in a parking lot outside this shopping centre place, waiting for my parents, 'cause they kinda lost me by accident, and I went to the car to wait for them, but I couldn't find the car- so anyways, I was in this car park and it was getting dark. So this guy comes over to me, and he's all like: 'Do you know where my son is? I can't find him'. And I was all like: 'No..? Who are you?' 

  Like, I was six, so what was I supposed to say? Anyway, he told me his name and I recognised his last name, from a kid in my class. And I asked him if this kid- Jeremy, I think his name was?- I asked him if Jeremy was his son. And he was like, yeah, that's right! And then all of a sudden he was gone and I was super confused. So anyway, next day at school I tell Jeremy his dad's looking for him, he starts crying and tells the teacher. And I got detention 'cause apparently Jeremy's dad had been dead for a month."

 

"Whoa. What happened after that? How did you get to the stage you're at now?"

 

"I guess I forgot about it. But then other things started happening. Like, I'd be walking down the street with Lance and there's a creepy looking dude and I'm like, dude, who's that dude? And Lance is like, Hunk, there is literally no one there. That kinda stuff.  At first I wasn't sure, but after a few encounters I guess I just started to accept the fact that- there are ghosts. And I can see the ghosts. I told Lance about a year ago, Lance told Pidge, Pidge told us about their organisation thingy and how new members were desperately needed (it was literally just Pidge and nobody else)- and then Lance told us about this postgrad guy he worked with- they work at a café- called Shiro, and he was super interested in the supernatural, so he came along on one of our expeditions, and since he's a little older he kinda naturally became the leader, like we didn't vote or anything, but it just worked out that way, which is cool. And he introduced his photography buddy Keith, who's kinda quite but he's cool, and so now here we are, I guess."

 

"Wow. And it's just the five of you?"

 

"Yep. Like, we're totally open to new people so if you wanted to come along one day, that'd be totally cool."

 

Allura's face lit up. "Really? I'd love to! I guess it would be putting my gift to good use, right? I mean, I suppose it would make-"

 

"Hey, guys! Guys, guys! Where'd Pidge go?"

 

"I'm right behind you, you moron. Hunk, take your friend, I'm going home. Cool party, Allura, see ya round!"

 

"Thanks! I'll text you, okay?"

 

Pidge nodded and barged their way through the (considerably less busy) kitchen. It was strange looking up and seeing so many people laughing and talking and having a good time- Hunk had practically forgotten that there was anyone in the kitchen other than him and Allura. 

 

"Wait, Pidge! _Pidge!_ You can't just leave me with- _Lance?_ What _happened_ to you?"

 

His friend was still fully clothed but entirely soaked, dripping water on Allura's kitchen floor. The three of them were getting a few odd looks, to say the least. 

 

Lance laughed. "Someone gave me hot, hot, hot sauce on my pizza roll. So I jumped in the pool."

 

"Oh god, you're drunk, aren't you?. You're very, very drunk. Go home."

 

"What? I'm not drunk." Lance waved a bottle in their faces. "Does this look like alcoholic to you?"

 

 _"Yes!"_  Hunk exclaimed, snatching the bottle. 

Lance stared at it, a look of betrayal on his face. _"Shit,_  Pidge told me it was lemonade." He turned to Allura and winked. "Wow, are you from outer space? Coz you're outta this world!"

 

Allura raised and eyebrow. "Um... _what?"_

 

Hunk sighed. "Just... ignore him. I should get him home before he does something stupid." He added in a resentful mutter, _"Oh wait, it's too late for that._ Jeez, why do I take you places?"

 

"Here's my phone number," Allura said, handing him a slip of paper. "Just give me a call whenever you want me to come along with the group."

 

"Great, thanks. See you round!"

 

Hunk unceremoniously threw Lance over his shoulder and left the house.

 

***

 

When he woke up, Lance was in his bed- which made absolutely no sense, seeing as he didn't even remember going home. A sudden thumping sound came from the bathroom.

"Goshdangit! Can you just make a fricking decision? Just be warm or cold! Don't leave us in this state of horrible lukewarm disgustingness!"

 

 He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. _Why_ did Hunk have to get into an argument with the taps when he was trying to sleep? _Again._

 

"Oh, you're awake?" Hunk now stood in the bedroom doorway. "Good. We're going back to that house again today. Remember? Shiro wanted to get there early 'cause it'll be light enough to see, but it's early so hopefully we won't run into the owner or something."

 

Lance groaned again. 

"Shhhhhh. I'm not coming," he mumbled through the pillow. To his utmost dismay, Hunk tugged the blanket from him and threw it out of his reach, leaving him cold.

 

"Get up, Lance. Don't make me tickle you."

 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I'm up, I'm up!"

He sat upright and lent against the wall adjacent to his bed.

"Do I have to come with you? I'm never much help anyway."

 

Hunk sat down on the bed beside him.

"What d'you mean, you're never much help? That's not true. We all need you there, Lance. The whole team is _counting_ on you!"

 

"Pfft."

 

"Look, if you don't believe me, you should know that the team _definitely_ needs me, and I would've never joined PIDGE if you hadn't forced me."

 

Lance felt himself smile.

"Thanks. That's... that..."

 

"Anytime. Go put some dry clothes on and brush your teeth, we're leaving in five minutes."

 

"Dry clothes? Why dry-"

Okay, they weren't _drenched,_ but- his clothes were damp. Why were they damp?

 

 

"Hunk. What... what... why are my..? Oh god, how drunk _was_  I?"

 

"You weren't too bad, to be honest. But you did jump in the pool."

 

_"With my clothes-"_

 

Whatever.

 

He slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready, grabbing some clean jeans and a blue t-shirt on the way.

 

When he reached the bathroom Lance widened his eyes and took a step back.

The tap was running with full force, steam  clogging the room.

 

"Uh, Hunk, you left the tap on!" he yelled, choking slightly on the humid air.

 

"What? Did I?"

 

A second later and Hunk was standing with him in the doorway.

"Oh. I was trying to get hot water to wash my face. But I could swear I turned it off."

 

"Must be those darn ghosts," Lance replied with a wink. "Looks like you got your hot water, though."

 

"You don't _say_. It's weird, usually the water's tepid at best-"

 

Hunk moved forward and turned the tap off, then stared at the sink for a moment before turning back to Lance.

"The plug."

 

"What about it?"

 

"The plug, Lance, the plug. The plug is in the sink."

 

"So?" 

 

"I did _not_  put the plug in the sink."

 

"Whatever, Hunk. Just pull it out."

 

"Are you _crazy?_ The water's scalding! Ugh, I'll do it when we get back. C'mon, we're gonna be late."

 

Lance frowned. 

"Wait, how am I gonna brush my teeth?"

 

"I don't know, spit it the toilet. You'll figure it out."

 

Oh, _joy_. _Thanks,_  ghosts. Thanks. He took his toothbrush from the mug on the side of the sink and-

 

"Lance. What are you doing?"

 

"Brushing my teeth?"

 

"With _my_  toothbrush?"

 

"What are you talking about? Yours is blue."

 

"Mine is _yellow_. _Yours_ is blue."

 

Rolling his eyes, Lance dropped the toothbrush and opted for a swig of mouthwash instead- emptying his mouth straight into the sink afterwards. 

 

"Oh, _man!"_ Hunk groaned. "That is _vile!_  I said spit into the _toilet!"_

 

He shrugged. "It's just _mouthwash_."

 

" _Used_ mouthwash!"

 

"So? It's not _that_  bad."

 

"Whatever man, just keep in mind that it's gonna be you sticking your hand in there to pull the plug out later."

 

"Fine!"

 

He went back to the bedroom to brush his hair and put his clean clothes on before putting on a pair of worn shoes. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he opened the apartment's door.

"Are you ready?" he asked Hunk, who was getting his own bag from the couch. 

 

"Duh, I've been ready for like, six years."

 

As they walked down the hall, Hunk nudged him in the side.

"Mouthwash is not an acceptable substitute for toothbrushing, you know."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Later that day, Lance plunged his hand into a sink full of mouthwash infused tepid water. *clap clap clap*
> 
> aaaahhh I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also I hope you liked the halfhearted and somewhat ironic Voltron references *eyes emoji*
> 
> Have a great day!! ;D


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Keith."
> 
> "Yeah?"
> 
> "What's up? And don't pull the 'I didn't get enough sleep' crap again. I know there's something else going on."
> 
> Keith shifted uncomfortably under his stare and turned to gaze into the trees.
> 
> "I..." he began. "I don't think I can really talk about this right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 50% angst(ish) and 50% Lance being ridiculous
> 
> Also Language™ haha 
> 
> Anyways enjoy!! :D

Chapter Three 

 

_But what if I make a fool of myself?_

It wasn't yet seven in the morning, but the text from Hunk had come in over two hours ago. Which was mildly odd seeing as he and Lance hadn't left her house until past midnight, so they couldn't have gotten much sleep.

  Not that Allura had either; she hadn't fallen asleep until around four, and an hour of troubled sleep was hardly sufficient. 

 

Either way, she was supposed to be meeting PIDGE in fifteen minutes, which meant she was early. Fifteen minutes early, waiting outside the supposedly haunted house they were visiting. It had been a pleasant surprise to hear from Hunk so soon, and Allura was looking forward to meeting the rest of the crew.

 

And maybe she was just a little nervous. 

 

Hunk had been thoroughly apologetic in his text message, seeing as it was so early, and he probably expected her to do a no-show- but Allura desperately wanted to make a good first (second?) impression, and she was already awake anyway, so coming along on the expedition seemed to make sense.

 

Despite the constant, nagging feeling that something would go wrong.

Which was ridiculous, of course. Hunk seemed very nice, and Lance seemed very... drunk. But she'd known Pidge for over a year through their shared passion for books.

And besides- what was the worst that could happen? One of the worries she'd had was what she should wear- a problem easily solved by dressing all in black, which was fashionable yet practical for ghost hunting. So that wouldn't be a problem. She'd also been worried about making a fool of herself, but hopefully the rest of the crew would be as friendly and welcoming as Hunk. 

  So why was she feeling so apprehensive? What could _possibly_ go wrong?

 

Her worrisome thoughts were interrupted by the loud engine of a motorbike which- seemed to be heading directly her way. Just as she was contemplating stepping aside, the bike slowed to a stop. The driver jumped off, and held out a hand to help the passenger down- who ignored the offer of help and swung off the bike on their own.

 

Stepping towards her, the driver pulled their helmet off. 

"Uh, we didn't expect you to be here yet." The man standing in front of her had a kind smile and mysterious grey eyes. To her surprise, he looked slightly awkward.

 

"Oh. Sorry. I'm early."

 

"Nice to meet you Early, I'm Shiro." He held out a hand and grinned.

Laughing, Allura shook his hand.

 

"So... you must be Allura?"

 

"Yep. That's... me."

 

_And this is why I don't like meeting new people. Why is this so awkward?!_

 

"I've heard a lot about you from Hunk. And Pidge, for that matter. That's Keith." Shiro nodded his head towards the guy who had been sitting behind Shiro on the motorbike. He was now leaning against the bike, trying to smooth down his hat hair. Helmet hair. Whatever.

 

"Hi," she said with a wave. _Awkward._

 

 

Keith lifted his head and smiled. 

"You're early. Sorry, that sounded kinda rude. I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's pretty cool that you're early, actually. It makes a change seeing as usually we arrive first and end up waiting round for Hunk and Lance. Which isn't Hunk's fault. Lance just slows him down 'cause he needs his 'beauty sleep'." He then shrugged and glanced away somewhat awkwardly.

 

Allura chuckled. "Well, I'm afraid Lance may need a little... _extra_  sleep this morning. And perhaps some aspirin. He, um.. he was at my party last night." 

 

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "You gave Lance alcohol? Wow, that is... an incredibly stupid thing to do."

 

"Mm, I realised," she laughed. "It ended with him in the pool. Fully dressed, of course."

 

Keith threw his arms in the air in an exasperated motion. "Seriously?! What a moron."

 

***

 

 _Typical._  It was _so_  typical for Lance to go partying and end up doing something _very_ stupid- _and the rest of them had to pay the price!_

Stupid, pretty Lance with his stupid, pretty head in the clouds, always doing his own stupid thing at the expense of everybody else.

 

Well, maybe Keith was just a little bit jealous because- when was the last time _he'd_ been to a party?

 

Either way, he was fully ready to go on a huge rant about _Lance_ and his stupidity.  But a warning glance from Shiro stopped him before he'd even started. They had to make a good impression for Allura, right? And he knew that Shiro was especially anxious about meeting her, seeing as he was the leader and he had to seem friendly and welcoming. 

 Not to mention that none of them really had much... social experience. Except maybe Lance. He had lots of social interactions, he was just really bad at them. Despite thinking he was The Best, if any girls actually ended up giving him their number, it was probably fake. Shiro was okay with meeting new people, but they'd never really had a new member join their group, so it was probably a little weird for him. Hunk was pretty much terrified of strangers, Pidge was fine with them- but not particularly a people person in general.

  And Keith was... well... Keith.

He'd already pretty much messed up by just _speaking_ , and Allura probably thought he was _super_ strange now. He could try and talk to her again and make himself seem a little more normal, but knowing that he'd probably seem really weird or creepy if he so much as opened his mouth, Keith decided it would definitely be best if he just _didn't._

He _seriously_  hoped that the others would arrive soon.

To his relief, a bike bell interrupted his thoughts, and glancing over his shoulder he spotted Pidge pedalling towards the three of them on their green vintage-style bicycle. He noted the lack of helmet and rolled his eyes. It was kind of typical Pidge to refuse to wear a helmet. Apparently it would ruin the 'aesthetic'. _Right_.

 

"Where are Lance and Hunk? We need to go, go, go!" Pidge demanded, parking the bicycle next to Shiro's motorbike. "Hi Allura! It's great that you're here, I'm so psyched, oh my gosh!"

 

"Whoa," Shiro laughed. "Someone's been at the coffee again."

 

"One cup, Shiro, _one cup_. Where are Lance and Hunk?"

 

"They're not here. If they don't arrive in five minutes, we're going without them."

 

Oh, this was ridiculous. Of course Lance had to go ruining everything. Again. 

"Shiro," Keith murmured. "We can't go in there without Hunk. I mean, it's not like we need Lance, but-"

 

"What is _that_  supposed to mean? We need Lance just as much as everyone else."

 

"Well, evidently you need him more than you need me."

 

Shiro turned to fully face him, frowning. "Keith, where is this _coming_  from? What's this about?"

 

" _Whatever_. Forget it. I'm just pretty useless, okay? I take photos. _Wow,_ yay me! I take them home and edit them and- then what? What's the point in me even being here? I mean, what's the goal here? What are we trying to achieve?"

 

Sighing, Shiro took off the bag he'd been carrying and thrust it at Pidge.

"Pidge, why don't you show Allura some of the equipment so she knows how to use it? I packed extra headsets and stuff."

Then he took Keith by the arm and began walking briskly away from the others.

"C'mon, let's talk."

 

***

 

Pidge watched in dismay as Shiro dragged Keith away from them. Did Keith _seriously_  have to get all broody and annoying right now? This was Allura's first time being with the group and she was probably starting to feel rather... awkward.

 

"Um, ignore those two. We should.. probably find somewhere to put my bike. We're not exactly being legal here."

 

"Right. Uh, isn't it a little light to be.. ghost hunting?" Allura nodded towards the early morning sun which was steadily making its way up the sky. 

 

"Eh. I prefer going when it's dark, but sometimes it's just easier to go during the day time. It is pretty dark inside the building though. We were here yesterday and it was basically impossible to see anything without night vision headsets."

The two of them stood on the pavement in front of the house; a patch of untidy grass separated them from the rotting wooden porch.

 

"We're probably gonna go in through the back, so I'll put my bike round there- and there's a few acres of woodland round there which we can go into afterwards, if you want."

 

Glancing anxiously at the house, Allura nodded. They started walking around the side of the house to the back. "Sure. Um, Pidge? Who owns this house?"

 

"We haven't really figured it out yet. Obviously no one lives there, but we're not sure if it's abandoned or whatever. Why d'you ask?"

 

"It's nothing, just... it feels vaguely familiar, as if I dreamt about it or something." She laughed. "I'm sure it's nothing, but-"

 

She was distracted by two figures running towards them a little way down the street, waving their arms madly. Allura smiled and waved back, a little less wildly.

 

"So.. sorry.. Lance was taking... ages to-"

The two skidded to a halt in front of them, out of breath.

 

Lance waved his arms around some more, his eyes wide. "You'll never believe- the water- the water! Oh my god, the water was literally _boiling._ That _never_  happens-"

 

Pidge raised a sceptical eyebrow. What was he _talking_  about?

At that moment Lance noticed Allura.

 

"You must be Allura!" he said, beaming at her. "I'm Lance. I'm like, totally the leader of our group. Shiro might tell you he is coz he doesn't want to admit that I'm better than him, so just... let him believe that. But I'm, like, actually in charge."

 

Hunk facepalmed and stepped in front of Lance.

"Ignore him. I'm so glad you could make it, sorry for texting you so early. I wasn't sue if you'd turn up because lots of people are asleep at this time. Because sleep is what people tend to do. In the morning. And at night, obviously. Unless you're a vampire. Or a bat. Or a vampire bat. But anyways- you made it! That's cool. Where's Shiro and Keith?"

 

Pidge sighed. "They went... somewhere." They winced as a couple walked past, shooting the group an odd look. "Okay," they hissed. "Time to move. It's getting later and later, and people are starting to walk along the street. Which isn't good. Especially since we're not particularly... inconspicuous."

 

 _Shiro's goddamn bag._  It kinda drew attention.

 

"Pidge," Lance yawned, waving a hand in their face. "I know you're still pissed about Shiro's bag, but you know- it is actually a _very good bag_ _."_

 

Pidge snorted. "You're only saying that because you bought it for him."

 

"Wait, what's the deal with Shiro's bag?" Allura asked, a confused smile playing at her lips.

 

Lifting the bag up from where they'd dumped it on the ground, Pidge span it to face Allura.

 

 _"A bunch of shit I basically can't live without,"_ she read from the front of the bag, and laughed. "I must admit, that _is_ a very good bag."

 

 _"Don't encourage him,"_ Hunk and Pidge chorused.

 

***

 

Shiro kept walking, dragging Keith behind him, until they reached the edge of the woods round the back of the house.

 

"Are... there bears in there?" Keith asked, glancing uncomfortably into the dense mass of trees.

 

"Wha- _what? Bears?_ Keith, what is this about?"

 

"What, the bears? I dunno, I just- I don't want to be eaten by a bear."

 

Stepping away to run his hands through his hair, Shiro sighed and shut his eyes before facing Keith again.

"Bears. _Bears_. I don't even- Jesus, why are you so jumpy these days? Usually you're the one rushing into everything recklessly. What's the deal?"

 

"I'm Keith."

 

_"*What?*"_

 

Keith's lips twitched into a smile. "My name's Keith. It was- it was a joke. It kinda sounded like you called me 'Jesus'. So I was, uh, reminding you that my name is Keith. Not Jesus. Uh, nevermind."

 

Shiro allowed himself to chuckle slightly before regaining his serious expression and looked Keith in the eye.

"Keith."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"What's up? And don't pull the 'I didn't get enough sleep' crap again. I know there's something else going on."

 

Keith shifted uncomfortably under his stare and turned to gaze into the trees.

"I..." he began. "I don't think I can really talk about this right now."

 

"Why not? Keith, I'm not- I'm not trying to _interrogate_  you, okay? You don't _have_  to talk to me. But it's my job to look out for you, so I- I don't know, I thought you might want to get it off your chest. But whatever. Forget it."

 

Although he did really want to make sure that all of his teammates were okay, Shiro knew that he couldn't force Keith to talk, so he turned to walk away. But he stopped when he heard Keith sigh, defeated.

 

"Wait. Shiro. My- it's my... it's my house. My house is haunted."

 

***

 

Keith had absolutely no idea how Shiro would react- he'd kept it quiet for over two weeks, and it... it was a kinda big deal.

 

"Your- your house."

 

"...Yeah."

 

He winced as Shiro turned back to him, face painted in equal parts of surprise, confusion and exasperation- along with a hint of amusement.

 

"Your house is haunted."

 

"Yeah, my... uh, my house is haunted." Keith shrugged awkwardly and folded his arms. "It's, um... it's..."

 

The two of them fell silent for a moment. 

 

"Haunted?" Shiro supplied helpfully.

 

"Yeah. That. It's... can we, like... not talk about this right now? Just forget I ever said anything, okay?"

 

" _What?_ No, Keith, I will not just _forget_ you ever said anything! This- we have to talk about-" Shiro sighed. " _Fine_. I'll forget about it. For now. But only because the team is probably waiting for us. Assuming Lance decided to get out of bed, of course. But we most certainly _are_ talking about this later, okay?"

 

Keith shrugged again, nodding. "Fine. Whatever. Sure. And- I'll have you know that my lack of sleep was _not_ a lie. You try living in a house with this dude. He thinks he's the bee's fucking knees, and he won't _shut up!_  Like, I understand the need to make people aware of your presence, but singing opera at three a.m.? That is just _mean."_

 

"Your ghost sings _opera?"_ Shiro burst out laughing. "You have _got_  to be kidding me!"

 

"I'm not kidding! I'm not kidding. I didn't even know ghosts could sing. But seriously, he's so _frustrating_. Anyway, I'll tell you everything later. We should get back to the others."

 

***

 

As Pidge finished resting their bicycle against a tree on the very edge of the woods, Lance frowned, spinning Shiro's bag in his hands. He eyed Allura suspiciously as she sat on the back porch talking to Hunk. She looked so familiar. He'd seen that face before, he just knew it. And yet he was certain he'd never seen her. But she was totally gorgeous, and Lance found himself wondering if she was dating anyone. The way her white blonde curls cascaded down her shoulders was stunning, and her bubbling laughter which carried over to him brought a smile to his face.

 

Okay, maybe he pretended to detest any romantic comedies or chick flicks that Hunk made him sit through, but deep inside, Lance kinda didn't completely hate them. Like, they were still terrible, but he maybe liked them a _little_  bit. But not a lot. So he basically hated them. Kind of.

 

Anyway, Lance was just beginning to ponder the meaning of life and whether he should take the dating advice from magazines aimed at twelve year old girls seriously or not, when he was suddenly aware of somebody standing next to him. 

 

"Stop staring, you creep. It's creepy."

Pidge elbowed him.

 

"But I- but- sh- she..." Lance stammered. "But she h-has a very nice face."

 

"Pfft. Get over it, Romeo."

 

"Are you saying that I'm going to fall in love with her despite our different backgrounds and stand outside her room in the middle of the night and be all dramatic and then we'll both die in a stupid and frustrating manner?"

 

Pidge frowned, turning to face him. "Lance, have you _read_ Romeo and Juliet?"

 

"Umm... I watched the one with the garden gnomes?"

 

"Coming from the same person who thinks that watching the Muppets version of A Christmas Carol counts as being an avid Dickens reader. You are a disgrace to the world of literature."

 

"Hey, I don't have to listen to you! You're, like, really short! So there! Oh, would you look at that, it's Sheith and Kiro! Keith and Shiro. Ugh!"

 

"Lance?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"You make no sense." Pidge went over to join Hunk and Allura, leaving Lance feeling mildly perplexed at the words coming out of his own mouth and wondering what it felt like to be possessed.

 

"Hey Kiro- _Keith,_ goddamnit, Shiro, how's it going? Just stand here, I'm regaining my sanity."

 

Shiro frowned as he and Keith approached Lance.

 

"Lance? Are you... okay?"

 

"Sure, just give me twelve years and a baseball bat. Oh _Jesus_ , I'm going insane." Lance buried his face in his hands and sighed. "I'm okay. I'm okay. All that night air is clearly getting to me."

 

"It's... day time?" Keith added, vaguely unhelpfully. 

 

"Whatever, _Keratin._  Nobody _asked_ you. Sorry, I'm clearly losing it, I just keep splurting random words. Ignore me."

 

"...Which is exactly what we were doing before," Keith responded. "Are we going in? Time is ticking. We should go now if we want to be home before noon. Because _some_  idiot was very _late!"_

 

"Um, shut up, _Kitchenware?_ I was here before you!"

 

"Lance, you know I _adore_  you, but why are you calling me random words?"

 

"Because- because- because the _government_ , that's why! So there, _Ketchup!"_

 

Shiro grabbed his bag from Lance, shrugged helplessly at Keith and moved over to the others.

 

"Oh _kay_ ," Keith sighed. "I'll be over there with thethes _sane_ people, if you decide to start behaving like a rational human being and join us."

 

Lance began pondering the meaning of life again when he realised he'd just called Keith 'Keratin'. And 'Kitchenware'. 

 

And 'Ketchup'.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaa Lance you idiot (but on the same note, all wackiness will be explained next chapter... mwahahahaha)
> 
> Okie dokie so that's that hahaha  
> I hope you liked it! If you did enjoy it, comments are soooooo appreciated and really inspire me to continue writing, so it would be great if ya could let me know what ya think! :D 
> 
> If ya wanna check out my pinterest you can find me at kittychatnoir same as here, I have boards for the voltron characters based on this fic! I'm also on tumblr, @protectchatnoir where I'm most active or @intergalacticspacelions for voltron stuff!
> 
> Until next time ;D


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He shrugged. "I don't know, okay? I just don't like it. The woods round the back are weird. They're too dark and too dense. And the house is just... I mean, it's obviously haunted, but... there's something else. It's got bad vibes about it. It's not right. It's not natural."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo everybody! Here we have chapter four!! :D I'm having lots of fun writing this and hope y'all enjoy it! ;)

Chapter Four 

 

"What's up with Lance?" Hunk whispered, nodding towards his friend who was standing at the end of the house's back garden, on the fringe of the woodland. 

 

Keith shrugged. "I dunno. He keeps saying random words."

 

"It might be my fault," Pidge laughed. "I was kinda teasing him and then he stopped functioning." 

 

Hunk sighed.

 

"Okay. I'm gonna go get him. You guys go in if you want, we'll catch up."

 

The others nodded and made their way inside the old house, while he headed towards Lance. 

 _"Dude._ Get it together!" he cried, shaking Lance's shoulders. "You are being _weird!_ _"_

 

Lance blinked slowly. 

"Jeez, _sorry_. Can you stop shaking me, please?"

 

Hunk stopped shaking him and raised his eyebrows. "Are you sane now?"

 

"Sure. Sorry." 

 

"Lance, what is _with_  you? You were fine this morning!"

 

"I know! I'm sorry! It's just... this place, it's giving me the wiggins. And Allura... I feel like I've met her before. But, like... I can't remember meeting her. It feels like we knew each other in another life, or something."

 

"Oh. That's all? Lance, this place gives _everyone_  the wiggins. And- you have met Allura before. Last night. It was her party. Remember?"

 

Lance looked horrified. 

 

 _"What?!_ Oh, _quiznak-_  did I... um... _say_ anything to her?"

 

"Well, you may have tried a bad pickup line or two. And the dripping of pool water on to her kitchen floor might've been a thing that happened."

 

Groaning, Lance buried his face in his hands.

 

"Quiznak."

 

"Okay, you did some stupid stuff, but that's pretty normal for you. Just pull yourself together and get over it already. Now, come on. The others are waiting for us." 

 

Inside the house, Hunk and Lance managed to catch up to the others relatively quickly, and the six of them made their way into a room which was perhaps a living room or lounge once; it was hard to tell. Lance got his flashlight out of his bag and shone it into the corners of the room. On one side, there was an open doorway leading to another corridor which he didn't recognise. 

 

"That's where I went yesterday," Keith murmured, nodding towards the doorway. Hunk glanced, apprehensive, into the darkness. Lance was right about this place; it was _spooky._  He usually hated creepy old houses, but this one felt worse than usual. Worse than yesterday. 

 

A sudden intense humming sound filled Hunk's ears. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He shook his head to try and stop it, but it just kept getting louder. "Guys, do you hear that?"

 

Pidge frowned at him. "Hear what?"

 

The sound could have been alerting him to some kind of supernatural event- but in all honesty, it sounded more like bees. 

 

***

 

"Is that the sound of bees?" Hunk whispered thoughtfully.

 

Lance span to face him. Had Hunk gone mad?

  _"What?"_

"That _is_ the sound of bees. Many, many bees."

 

"Okay, you're definitely mad."  Stepping away from his (certainly insane) friend, Lance scanned the ceiling with his flashlight for any sign of paranormal activity. Or bees. Whichever.

 

"No no no, you don't understand. I can hear... bees. A fleet of bees. Or maybe I'm only just discovering my new super power, which involves bees. Or the _sound_  of bees."

 

Lance swung the light around to ominously illuminate his face and turned back to Hunk. "A super power involving bees sounds pretty lame. And dude, 'fleet' is not the collective noun for bees. It's 'troupe'."

 

At that moment Keith stepped in, looking mildly irritated at his teammates' irrelevant conversation.

"Guys, shut up. Lance, it is not 'troupe'. There's no such thing as a 'troupe of bees'. It's obviously a hive. Now shut up and move on."

 

"Wait, isn't it only a hive if the bees are in a... hive?" Allura interjected. "Hunk never said they were in a hive."

 

"Why are we talking about bees?" Shiro sighed, rolling his eyes.

 

"Because I hear bees!" Hunk cried. "Bees, Shiro, _bees!"_

 

Shiro closed his eyes and sighed.

 

"You okay, Shiro?" Pidge asked, patting his shoulder impassively.

 

"Sure. I just... need a minute. I know, let's split up. Lance, go with Allura and Hunk. Pidge, Keith, you're coming with me.

 

"What is the collective noun for bees?" Hunk muttered.

Lance sighed. Less than half an hour ago he was certain that he was going crazy, but now apparently Hunk was the one who'd totally lost it.

 

"Hunk," Shiro said, a little louder. "Are you okay?"

 

"Fleet... troupe... parade? Box. Box of bees. Nope. Group... cloud? That sounds close... cloud. Cloud. Cloud... nope, I've got nothing."

 

Shiro shrugged and moved towards the doorway. "We're going this way. You guys try and make your way into the centre of the house and we'll find a meeting point in about ten minutes."

 

He left the room, with Keith behind him.

 

Pidge followed them to the doorway, only stopping to turn around and say, "Swarm. It's a swarm of bees."

 

A beam lit up Hunk's face as if a lightbulb had gone of in his mind- but the smile quickly turned into a resentful pout. "Pidge knew all along, the dirty little rascal! Oh, I am so very offended. Why are we talking about this again?"

 

"Um... you heard bees?" Allura supplied helpfully.

 

"Oh. I don't hear them anymore."

 

Lance groaned.

 

***

 

On the other side of the doorway was a corridor, the same one he'd run down the day before. After turning off the corridor they were faced with another identical one. It could have been the same turning he'd taken yesterday, but it was hard to tell. The hallways twisted and turned like a complicated maze, quicky getting confusing. 

 

"Shiro," he whispered. "I'm not coming back here again. Even if we don't get any data. I really don't like it here."

 

Shiro stopped and turned to face him.

"Okay, that's fine. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

 

Keith blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected him to be so easy going about it. 

"Oh. Thanks. I mean, I'm fine with most stuff we do, as long as we ask permission. This just feels... wrong. And I'm not just talking about breaking the law. I mean... this house... it's weird. I don't like it."

 

"Guys, keep moving!" Pidge hissed from behind them. 

 

"Wait a second." Shiro frowned. "What do you mean, Keith?"

 

He shrugged. "I don't know, okay? I just don't like it. The woods round the back are _weird_. They're too dark and too dense. And the house is just... I mean, it's obviously haunted, but... there's something else. It's got bad vibes about it. It's not right. It's not natural."

 

"Maybe we shouldn't have split up?" Shiro whispered, perhaps more to himself than to the others.

A sudden crackling sound filled Keith's radio, shortly followed by someone shouting into it. It was hard to tell what they were saying. 

 

"Lance? Is that you? I can't hear you, the connection isn't-"

 

 _"Don't go any further!"_  It was definitely Lance, and his voice was suddenly clear. _"Stop, stop! Turn around! We have to get out of here!"_

 

Keith's eyes widened, as did his teammates'. 

 

"Lance, stay calm, tell me what happened."

 

_"No, get out first! Get out, now!"_

 

"Lance. Calm down. What happened?"

 

Lance stayed silent, but Hunk's voice crackled over the radio. "It's Allura. Something took control of her body, and she blacked out. She's okay now, but she says that it's different to anything she's ever experienced. It was... _bad_. Really bad. Some real weird negative vibes or something. This place... it's not cool, man."

 

***

 

It had been a week since the incident at the abandoned house, and Pidge had been reading everything they could find at the school library about the paranormal. There had to be _something_  that could help.

 

Everyone was a little shaken up by last week's incident- especially Allura, who was thoroughly apologetic about messing up the trip. The rest of the group had assured her that it was fine, of course. It wasn't Allura's fault. 

 

But there had to be some explanation for what had happened. It was on the fifth day of searching for a book that Pidge finally found something. 

 

"Look!" they exclaimed, slamming it on one of the library's tables where Keith was sitting, studying something boring-looking. 

 

"Shh," he muttered, without looking. "Libraries are supposed to be quiet."

 

 _"Keith!_ This is important!" 

Sliding into the chair opposite him, Pidge flicked the book open. Its cover was green, without a title, though the book's name was printed along the spine. It was called 'How To Speak With The Dead'. The pages inside were worn and yellowing with age, but still more thick and creamy than more modern books. Although there was no apparent publishing date, it was old, probably fifty years at least. 

 

"Listen to this. 'The Harvest Moon: Only certain people can see ghosts. They don't choose to; they are chosen. However, sometimes spirits do wish to communicate with the living. This is more common at significantly spiritual times, such as certain moon phases. Many supernatural experiences occur around the full moon, or the new moon. One astronomical event commonly linked to the paranormal is the harvest moon. The harvest moon occurs on the first full moon after the autumnal equinox, and if one wishes to communicate with the dead, the harvest moon is the best time to do so. On the harvest moon, the gap between the realm of the living and that of the dead is at its thinnest. Thus, the connections between the two worlds are stronger, and ghosts may even appear as corporeal as humans themselves.' Keith, are you listening? 'In the few weeks prior to the harvest moon, strange things may happen. These could include hearing peculiar sounds or feeling negative vibes around haunted spaces. People have also been known to lose control of their minds which can result in blackouts or speaking muddled words with a lack of sense'. Keith. There is a harvest moon in three days! This is exactly why the house was making everyone go wacky!"

 

"Mmhmm." Keith slipped his papers into his bag. "Sorry, I'm pretty distracted with all this work. What were you saying? Was it important?"

 

Pidge sighed. "Yes, it is important, actually. I've figured out why that house was making everyone go wacky. Here, take the book. Read page twenty five."

 

"Great. Thanks. I'll see you round, okay?"

 

"Uh huh. Stay out of trouble!"

 

Keith grinned halfheartedly. "Me? Trouble? I don't know what you mean."

 He turned around and left the library.

 

"Wait, Keith-!"

 

It was too late. He'd gone, leaving the book in Pidge's hands. 

 

Moron.

 

***

 

He _meant_  to read the book that Pidge had given to him; he really did. He even reached into his bag in order to glance through it. It was hardly _his_ fault that it wasn't there. And he had meant to find Pidge and get the book; but the days were slipping by, and there was a lot of stuff going on. Like having tons of studying. And stressing about the fact that he'd never had a chance to talk with Shiro about his... _situation._  

 

Which was apparently only getting worse.

 

When Keith woke up, there was a man with long white hair standing over his bed. 

 

Keith screamed. 

 

"Good evening!" the man said. "Or should I say good morning...? What time is it?"

 

Sitting upright in his bed, Keith stared at the man in horror. 

"Who... who _are_ you? Why are you in my bedroom?"

 

"Oh, _terribly_  sorry, I forgot- you don't know me yet. I know you, of course. I've been watching you for a few weeks. Wait, that sounded creepy. What I mean to say, I suppose, is that I've been haunting you for a few weeks."

 

 _"You?!_  But- but- you don't look like a ghost."

 

"You're rather ignorant, aren't you? Honestly, Keith, you should read books more often. As a member of a paranormal investigations organisation, you- of all people- should know the connotations of the harvest moon."

 

"The _what now?"_

 

"The- oh, nevermind. Ask that shortish bookworm friend of yours. Say, Keith, when _was_ the last time you read a book?"

 

 Ignoring the ghost-man-person's question, Keith narrowed his eyes at him

"How do you know my name? And... how can I see you? I thought only Hunk could see ghosts?"

 

"Keith, get real. I've been living- ah, poor choice of words- _residing_ at your house for over three weeks. Of course I know your name. I know everything about you. And- for God's sake, if you'd bothered to actually _read_ the book the small one tried to give you, you would _know._  I'm Lotor, _by_  the way."

 

Lotor stuck out a hand for him to shake, cackling when Keith's hand slipped through empty air.

 

Keith pulled his hand away and shook his head in an attempt to clear it, blinking away the weariness that clung to his mind.

 

"So, let me get this straight: you're a ghost who's been haunting my house and effectively stalking me for three weeks?"

 

 _"Well,_ when you say it like that... it does make it seem a little odd. But my intentions are completely innocent, I'll have you know."

 

 _"Okay?_ I have questions. Number one: what the fuck?"

 

Lotor blinked. "A valid question."

 

"What the fuck are you doing haunting my house? Go away?"

 

"Well _that_ isn't very hospitable of you. Why, if I didn't know better, I'd... I don't know, haunt you for the rest of your life."

 

"But... you _do_ know better, right? You're going to leave me alone?"

 

"Um... no. But that's beside the point. If you want to know the truth, Keith, I actually died about a year ago- and it was so _boring_. So I figured I'd come haunt a boring household to liven things up a bit. Figuratively speaking. Technically I cannot liven anything up, because I'm, well... anyway. Turns out you're less boring than you initially seemed, but I'm having fun here, so I suppose it doesn't really matter either way."

 

"What do you mean, I'm less boring than I initially seemed? What is that even supposed to mean?"

 

"It means that I find it incredibly amusing how you often stay up until early morning watching funny cat videos-"

 

 _"I hardly have a choice! Most nights I can't sleep because of your inane howling!"_  Keith cried. "How do you even _know_  about the cat videos?"

 

With a bored expression, Lotor sat on the edge of the bed, examining his fingernails. 

"Howling? Excuse me, my singing is positively delightful. And- I already told you. I know everything there is to know about you, Keith. Like how you have an unhealthy adoration for fruit loops, you brood a lot, you pace a lot, you occasionally shout "Lance, you infuriating little shit!" and kick the wall in frustration with no apparent trigger, you're very emotional-"

 

 _"I am not emotional!"_ Keith shouted. "And if you tell _anyone_  about the cat videos or wall-kicking, you're dead!"

 

Blinking in surprise, Lotor glanced up from his nails. 

"I _am_  dead."

 

An ucomfortable silence fell over the room. It lasted for a few awkward seconds before Keith broke it.

 

"Look, Leroy, I'm sorry," he sighed. "That was pretty insensitive."

 

"It's okay, Kevin. And you _are_ emotional. You cried last Wednesday when we ran out of milk. And when I sung Hakuna Matata. Also, it's Lotor, not Leroy."

 

_"The Lion King is a sad movie!"_

 

_"But Hakuna Matata is a happy song! It means no worries, for the rest of your days!"_

 

Keith snorted with laughter and the room went quiet again, but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable this time. 

 

"Lotor?"

 

"Mm?"

 

"A minute ago, you said that I cried when we ran out of milk. Um... who's 'we'?"

 

Keith kind of didn't want to hear the answer. He was relatively sure that he already knew what it would be.

 

"Oh. We. We, the people who live in this- the people who _reside_  in this house. What of it?"

 

He shrugged. "I dunno, I just... isn't it a little early to proclaim yourself a member of my household?"

 

"I... well, I never really thought about that.  It doesn't really make a difference though, does it? I mean, I'm here, and you kind of just have to deal with that. Anyway, I should get going. The sun will be up soon and then you won't be able to talk to me. Or even see me, for that matter. In fact, there would be no way to communicate with me at all unless you called your friends- the medium and the one who can see ghosts. Actually, you can talk to me, and I can talk to you, if I want. But you can't see me. Which is why you can hear me singing. It's rather amusing, is it not? Well, I'll see you in a month, I suppose. Although, that said, often full moons can last two nights, so I might be back tomorrow. We'll see."

 

"Wait, Lotor! What do you mean, a month? And where are you going?"

 

Lotor sighed. "Only a few people can see ghosts. But every full moon- _please_ stop associating the full moon with werewolves, it was traditionally a ghosts' moon- every full moon, the fabrics between realities, so to speak, are at their thinnest. Especially in the early hours of the morning. Anyway, it's easier for the living to see ghosts on a full moon- or new moon, but it really depends on the individuals. And on harvest moons, the reality fabrics- or whatever- are even thinner, and it's possible for the living to communicate clearly and naturally with ghosts. Obviously full corporeality is impossible. You can't touch me. But communication is much easier. Tonight is this year's harvest moon, which is why you've been able to talk to me. The other time people tend to see ghosts more naturally is a regular full moon, and it's often a bit more... fuzzy, so to speak." He waved his hand- which was now beginning to look a little 'fuzzy', as Lotor had put it. Keith noticed the sky getting a little lighter outside the window as dawn approached.

"Although, ghosts _can_  communicate at other times, should they so choose. Depends on the circumstances, really. Anyway, that's why I said I'll see you next month. Because, you know, the moon cycle is around a month. In case you hadn't realised. But things vary, and often things work differently, because ghosts are totally strange, right? And don't take everything I say to heart; this is only what I've learnt in the past year. Chances are, though, I'm right, because I nearly always am."

 

 _"Right_. Oh. Okay. Of course, how did I not guess all this confusing shit about moons and... whatever. Why... why have I never seen a ghost before, then? I mean, other than on my crappy photographs?"

 

The ghost stood up, and brushed himself down. 

 

"Keith," he said sincerely. "Not all ghosts _want_ to be seen."

 

And with that, Lotor was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, how the plot thickens! 
> 
> Honestly though Lotor is so fun to write as a sassy ghost sooo... *shrugs*
> 
> My tumblr is @intergalacticspacelions for voltron stuff, or @protectchatnoir for miraculous (where I'm more active)
> 
> Hope ya liked it! Until next chapter ;D


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance shook his head slowly. "Keith. Who else lives here?"
> 
> Keith sighed.  
> "Nobody. Nobody. I'm the only person who lives here."
> 
> Hunk and Lance exchanged a quizzical look, and Keith knew that he would have to elaborate a little. 
> 
> "I, um, I'm the only person *living* here. Ergo, the only *living* person *here*. I do, however, have a resident of the, uh, non living variety."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man I haven't posted a chapter in awhile this is p exciting xP 
> 
> So guys I hope you like this chapter, this here is a warning coz this chapter does contain some... ahem... language. Ah, perhaps I should change the rating to mature. I'll have a think about it.  
> Anyways, enjoy! :D

Chapter Five

 

Shiro's phone started ringing just as the sun began to rise. He usually got up early, but not _this_  early. 

 

"Keith," he sighed, into the phone. "You'd better have a _very_  good reason for this."

 

_"I have a very, very good reason! I need somebody to tell me I'm not going insane!"_

 

"You're not insane. What happened?"

 

_"I, um... I spoke to him."_

 

"Who? Keith, who did you speak to?"

 

_"Lotor!"_

 

"Keith. Calm down. Who's Lotor?"

 

_"My ghost! I mean, the ghost. In my house. He was in my room! I need the team over here, stat!"_

"Are... you sure you weren't dreaming?"

 

_"Tell Pidge to bring the book. They'll know which one."_

The phone disconnected. 

Shiro sighed and got out of bed. He was certain that Keith had dreamt the run-in with his resident ghost; only Hunk could see ghosts. So it didn't make sense. Right?

 Even so, Keith had sounded pretty shaken up on the phone, and if he really needed the team at his house, they should go to support him. So Shiro set up a group call with the others. Pidge and Hunk answered first.

 

"Hey team. Sorry for calling so early- but we need to get to Keith's house. He's having trouble with his-" 

He remembered that the rest of the group didn't yet know about Keith's ghost. 

"Uh, I'll explain when we get there. Pidge, Keith told me to tell you to bring.. a book?"

 

Pidge groaned. _"Seriously? If this has something to do with the harvest moon, he brought it upon himself for not listening to me before. I did try to warn him. But fine. I'll be there in five."_  They hung up. 

 

 _"You gotta be kidding me!"_  Lance exclaimed, presumably having stolen Hunk's phone. _"This is ridiculous. Keith's having trouble with his what? I'm not coming if you don't tell me exactly what's going on!"_

 

At that moment, Allura joined the call. 

_"What's the problem? Are we meeting?"_

 

"Yeah. Keith's house- I'll send you the address. Terribly sorry for calling so early; Keith was pretty worked up when I spoke to him. Sorry if I woke you up."

 

_"No, it's quite alright, I wasn't-"_

 

 _"Oh, you're sorry for waking her up? What about me? I didn't get an apology,"_ Lance grumbled. _"I've got a shift in two hours. For that matter, you've got a shift in two hours!"_

 

Shit. Lance was right, the two of them had to be at work soon. 

"Okay, we'll try and make it quick then. Get out of bed, or I swear to god that Hunk will tickle you."

 

He heard somebody speaking on Lance's end, something like a quiet, _"He's right, you know."_ And with that, Hunk's phone disconnected from the call.

 

"Okay, Allura, I'll send you Keith's address. But you don't have to come if you don't want to, okay?"

 

_"It's no problem, really. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

 

***

 

Keith paced. Which, according to Lotor, he did a lot. Keith _hated_ that Lotor was right. 

 

 _If_  Lotor actually existed, anyway. He was still half convinced that he'd dreamt the entire conversation. Although Keith was sure that his imagination was definitely not advanced enough to invent such an irritating _jerk_.

But it was all so confusing; the stuff about the harvest moon rang bells. Pidge _had_  to bring that book they'd tried to show him the other day. He was certain that the book had something to do with the harvest moon stuff Lotor had been talking about. 

 

So when the doorbell rang, and Keith ran to answer it, his face may have noticeably fallen a little. 

 

"What's your deal?" Lance cried. "You drag us out of bed at seven a.m. and look all disappointed when we show up! Who were you expecting to answer the door to?"

 

In all honesty, he'd been hoping to answer the door to Pidge, so he could look at the book. But he wasn't about to tell Lance that and have it haunt him forever and get yelled at for playing favourites or something. He'd rather be haunted than an annoying dramatic ghost who obviously thought very highly of himself than give Lance something else to annoy him with. 

 Either way, it was a good thing that Hunk was here, because at least then they'd be able to get some sense of where Lotor was. _If_ he was. He was seriously praying the ghost was just his imagination. That seemed less and less likely with every passing minute.

 

"Thanks for coming," Keith said, opening the door wider, ignoring Lance's comment. It was only then that he realised his house hadn't seen a duster for an embarrassingly long time. He didn't exactly have visitors often. 

 

Not from the living, at least. It was honestly shocking that Lotor hadn't lectured him about cleanliness yet. _If Lotor even existed._

 

"Uh, sorry if it's kinda messy inside. I'm, um, renovating."

 

Nice save.

 

"This is the, um, hallway. It's not very interesting. Then the upstairs is that way, up the, uh, stairs. And the kitchen is here." He led them into the kitchen, and winced as the table, which currently only had one chair, caught his eye. Could he possibly make the fact that he rarely had guests any more obvious?

 

"Would you guys like something to drink? Like... I don't know, tea? Coffee?"

 

"Is it safe?" Lance muttered, and Hunk elbowed him.

 

"Thanks, Keith, I'll take a black coffee, if that's okay," Hunk answered. 

 

Keith nodded and moved over to the coffee machine, freezing in his tracks when he heard what sounded like a punk rock cover of Let It Go drifting down from upstairs. 

 

He sighed, all hopes of Lotor being a really shitty nightmare melting away. 

 

Grabbing the broom, Keith climbed onto the single chair and banged on the ceiling with its handle, causing a cascade of plaster to shower onto the floor. And into his hair.

 

 _"Shut up!_  We have _guests!"_

 

Lance and Hunk blinked in surprise. The singing stopped.

 

"Was that...?" Hunk began, but trailed off.

 

Keith finished making the coffee and handed it to him.

 

Hunk took the cup and tried talking again. "I didn't realise you had a roommate? Or housemate. Or whatever."

 

"I don't."

 

"Keith," Lance whispered. He lifted a shaking finger and pointed to the cupboard (which, unfortunately, was lacking a door at the moment).

 _"Why_  the actual _heck_  do you have so many fruitloops?"

 

"Oh, um, I stock up, I guess. But anyway, you're here to help me, not to judge-"

 

"And why don't you use the broom for sweeping? Y'know, rather than poking holes in the ceiling?"

 

"Hey, otherwise he would never shut-"

 

"And why is there one kitchen chair if two people live here?"

 

The whole kitchen fell silent.

 

"You know, I was just thinking the exact same thing," Hunk speculated, sipping the coffee.

 

"Lance, are you sure you don't want some tea? I promise not to poison it."

 

"You didn't answer my question," Lance replied.

 

"I didn't deem it worthy of answering. Tea?"

 

Lance shook his head slowly. "Keith. Who else lives here?"

 

Keith sighed.

 

"Nobody. Nobody. I'm the only person who lives here."

 

Hunk and Lance exchanged a quizzical look, and Keith knew that he would have  to elaborate a little. 

 

"I, um, I'm the only person _living_  here. Ergo, the only _living_  person _here_. I do, however, have a resident of the, uh, non living variety."

 

Before the others had time to process what he'd said, somebody knocked on the door, and Keith went to answer it.

It was Allura. 

 

"Keith! Are you okay?" she exclaimed upon seeing him.

 

"Yeah, I'm... I'm okay. Sorry for dragging you out here so early."

 

"Oh, it's no big deal, really. I was already awake, and..." 

She seemed to forget where the sentence had been going.

 

"Uh, do you want to come in? Hunk and Lance are in the kitchen. We need to... talk some things through."

 

"Absolutely."

 

***

 

When Pidge rang the doorbell, they weren't exactly expecting it so swing open immediately. Keith stood in the entrance, looking extremely relieved, and slightly dishevelled. Pidge reached to flick a piece of... what looked like _plaster_ from his hair.

"Oh, thank god you're here. You brought the book, right? I need to read up on this harvest moon stuff." He frowned. "Where's Shiro? Isn't he with you?"

 

Pidge shrugged. "Nope. I haven't spoken to him since he called me at the break of dawn for some emergency that he hasn't even told us about. What's going on?"

 

"Um... please don't murder me, but... my house is haunted. As far as I can tell, it has been for a while. I mean, I've been suspecting it for half a year, but it was only this month that he made himself known. By singing loudly in the morning. Not just mornings, actually. Whenever it will annoy me. Which is all the time. So there's a lot of singing. He's very, uh, egocentric."

 

"Your house is haunted."

 

"Yeah?"

 

 _"Do you have any idea how much I want to murder you right now?!_ If you have a ghost, we could be getting so much useful data. But no, you keep it to yourself because you are Keith and you are a _moron!_  I can't understand why your ghost would want to be around you!"

 

"Please don't call him 'my ghost'. That would be below him."

 

_"What?"_

 

"...Nevermind. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, okay? It was just... weird."

 

"It's fine! Can I come in?"

 

"...Sure?"

 

Keith's house was everything Pidge had expected it to be. It was somewhat dark and smelt like old books, but not in a good way. There wasn't any carpet, and the walls seemed to be shedding a little plaster. It could have been worse, and with a few touch ups here and there, it would have probably looked rather posh. If the exterior was anything to go by, Pidge would've assumed the house _was_  something like fancy. Nothing like Allura's, of course, but it was pretty grand, with large windows and stone steps leading up to the front of the house, ivy climbing the walls. If only Keith made an effort to clean once in a while. 

Apparently their facial expression let Keith know exactly what they were thinking, as he shrugged awkwardly and vaguely indicated to nothing in particular. 

"I'm _renovating_. It's usually clean, I swear."

 

Pidge snorted. "Sure. Sure." 

 

When the two of them reached the kitchen, Hunk, Allura and Lance welcomed them with slightly anxious expressions. 

 

"Where's Shiro?" Lance asked. 

 

"He isn't here," Keith replied.

 

"Yeah, I figured that much, idiot. Where _is_ he?"

 

"I don't know, Lance! I'm not psychic!"

 

"Guys, would you cut it _out?_ Keith, I brought the book." Pidge dug in their bag and produced the old green book. "Page-"

 

"Twenty five, I know." Keith opened the book to the correct page, skimming it to pick out important information. 

"Many supernatural experiences occur around the full moon, mm hmm, one astronomical event commonly linked- blah blah blah, the harvest moon. The harvest moon occurs on the first full moon after the autumnal equinox, blah blah blah, gap between the realm of the living and that of the dead is at its thinnest. Thus, the connections between... yeah... _ghosts may even appear as corporeal as humans themselves_. Guys, this is exactly what Lotor was saying! But- I don't get it, how does a moon affect the ghost's corporea-whatsit? What is it about that particular moon that makes it possible for people to see ghosts?"

 

Frowning, Pidge shrugged slightly. "I don't know. But maybe if we get some data from this... 'Lotor' dude, maybe we can figure it out."

 

*** 

 

"So, um, I don't get it. What's the harvest moon? And why does it let other people see ghosts?"

 

"Get with it, Hunk! The harvest moon is a... uh... _moon_ , when people... _harvest_  stuff," Lance replied. "But the real question is- what are they harvesting? Bodies? Souls?"

 

"The harvest moon is the closest full moon to the autumn equinox," Allura answered. "Legend has it that the fabric of realty is thinned under the light of the harvest moon; realms blur, strange things happen. In the run up to the moon, things can get confusing; paranormal hotspots go haywire. It explains why Lance was having some... trouble last week, and why I- why something-" she trailed off, looking troubled. 

 

Lance pointed an accusing finger at her. "How do _you_  know so much about it?"

 

Allura frowned. "I... I don't know, I just... I know a lot of things about ghosts, I suppose."

 

Lance narrowed his eyes. _"Reeeeally?_  How do we know you're not lying?"

 

"Lay off, Lance," Hunk sighed. "So, there's a ghost and a book and a moon and... I don't follow. What has this got to do with us?" 

 

"It has everything to do with us! This is brilliant! We can look at Keith's ghost and get a _load_ of readings and data. We'll find out more about ghosts than we have on _any_  of our ghost hunts and expeditions!" Pidge exclaimed, slamming their hands on the kitchen table, abruptly lifting them again when the wood creaked with the unexpected weight. "This might be it, guys! We can finally figure out exactly _how_  ghosts _work._  It's so exciting!" They snatched the book from Keith's hands and took it over to Allura to gush about the quality of the cover or something. Hunk was still finding it difficult to get over the fact that they both attended a book club. 

 

He shrugged, glancing towards Lance, who seemed to be completely zoned out, uncharacteristically quiet. "I don't know... it seems kinda dangerous. We know next to nothing about Keith's ghost. He could be scary. I mean, most ghosts are scary, but this guy could be, like, _scary_ scary."

 

 _"Would you guys stop calling him 'Keith's ghost'? He is not_ my  _ghost! And he isn't scary! He sings Disney songs!"_

 

"Ohhhh, so he's not scary? That's good. By I still think it's kinda dangerous. At least he's friendly, though, right?"

 

"Uh, I wouldn't say 'friendly'. He may sing Disney songs, but he only does it to annoy me. He's pretty much a jerk."

 

 "Oh. Okay. So, um... I guess you want me to talk to him."

 

"You got it. I'm sorry, Hunk, I know you hate this. But you're the only one who can see them. Except for the weird harvest moon stuff, which is still pretty confusing. But-"

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the one with the freaky curse, so I'm the one who has the talk to the jerky Disney-singing ghost. Yay me!" He laughed, somewhat nervously. "I'll do it, on one condition: you never make me come with you guys to a haunted house ever again."

 

Keith smiled. "I'm afraid I can't agree to that. I don't think Shiro would like that." Then he frowned. "Where the fuck is he?" Keith muttered. 

 

Snapping his head up suddenly, Lance frowned. "He's not here yet? Have you tried calling him?" 

 

"I... I guess it's worth a try," Keith replied. He pulled his phone out and dialled Shiro's number, then moved away into the hall, presumably to escape Allura and Pidge's conversation about how marvellous the book was. 

 

Hunk turned to Lance. "Dude, are you okay?" he asked quietly. "You seem pretty... out of it. What's going on?"

 

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine. It's just... don't you think it's pretty weird that Keith is only talking to us about this now? I mean, if he'd told us earlier... and the harvest moon stuff. It's  _weird_. And kinda freaky. Like Pidge said, if we can find out _how_ ghosts exist through this, that's like.. everything we've been working towards. If we find out everything we need to know, where do we go from there?"

 

"I think you're over thinking it, man. If we do get loads of data, that doesn't mean that's the end of our freaky hobby. We do this because it's interesting, right? Well, Allura wants to put her gift to good use, and Shiro and Pidge are fascinated by the paranormal. Keith just needs to practise his photography skills, I mean, I don't know if he actually cares about ghosts or what, but y'know.You're in it for the ride- because it's _'fun',_ honestly, you absolute freak- and I got dragged along against my will. But you know what I'm saying. We wouldn't be here if we didn't _want_  to be here. Except me. I don't want to be here. But anyways, the point is, we're not just gonna stop our research and stuff. There's still a lot to learn." He sighed. "Which means, unfortunately, breaking into many more haunted houses."

 

Lance laughed. "Right. Thanks, Hunk. You're the best."

 

"I know. You're the second best. After me."

 

***

 

He hadn't _meant_  to get lost. He'd meant to arrive at Keith's house as soon as possible. But when he rode past the house they'd visited over the past week, he pulled over.

 

He remembered what Keith had said before:

 _"I don't know, okay? I just don't like it. The woods round the back are_ weird _. They're too dark and dense. And the house is just... I mean, it's obviously haunted, but... there's something else. It's got bad vibes about it."_

 

 

On the way to Keith's house, Shiro had glanced at the woodland alongside the road. He'd watch it transition from a perfectly normal forest to something malevolent; something _dangerous_. And that's when he reached the same neighbourhood with the same house he'd been to twice in the past week. It was totally ridiculous, right? The woods couldn't _really_ be evil. That was crazy. 

 

 _The woods round the back are_ weird.  _They're too dark and dense._

Shiro shuddered, parking his bike accross the road from the house in a halfhearted attempt at discretion, and crossed the street. The house seemed bigger now, looming over him like a monster. He tried to shake the thought. It was a _house_. It was just a house. A house which he'd been inside. Twice. It wasn't about to eat him, or something. It was fine. It was totally fine. It was just a house. 

 

He still felt a little uncomfortable as he moved around the side of the house, accross the dewy grass, past the rotting back porch to the edge of the woods. Maybe he would feel safer with his bike; but Keith was right- the trees were dense, and there was no way he would be able to manoeuvre it through. 

 

_Why was he going in these dark, spooky-ass woods again?_

 

Nobody knew where he was - they wouldn't know where to search if he got lost.

 

_He wouldn't get lost._

~ 

He got lost.

 

Cursing quietly, Shiro squinted up at the canopy above. It was completely dark. Surely he hadn't been lost for _that_  long? When he set off it had been early morning; but now the sky was practically blocked out by the branches; it was hard to tell if the sun was even shining. Perhaps the tightly packed trees were simply obscuring any hints of sunlight? Shiro grimaced. He could call his friends, but- _of course._ No signal.

 

_Who's idea was this? Oh, yeah. It was his. Whoops._

 

"It is not safe in the woods."

 

Shiro screamed and whipped around.

_"Who the fuck are you?"_

"My name is Shay. You shouldn't be here."

 

He regarded her with suspicion, glancing around them. Where had she come from? Where the hell even was he, anyway? Either he was moving deeper into the forest, or he was walking in circles. It was hard to tell. 

 

"What do you mean? What do you mean, I shouldn't be here?"

 

"It's too dangerous. Bad things will happen if you stay; you must leave."

 

"I'm... sorry, I'm lost. What kind of bad things?"

 

She looked behind her anxiously. 

"I cannot speak of such things here." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Paranormal energy levels have been amiss. Something bad is coming."

 

"Paranormal... who _are_ you?"

 

"My name is Shay," she repeated. "I died in these woods seven years ago. I haven't seen sunlight since."

 

Shiro shuddered.

"No, it's- that's not- that can't be true. I don't- I thought no one but Hunk could see ghosts."

 

"A select few can; but the presence of the harvest moon allows others to see the dead as well."

 

"The harvest moon? I've heard of that."

 

"The first full moon after the equinox occurred last night. But something is wrong. The moon cycle is starting over. You shouldn't be able to see me today."

 

"I don't understand. I don't... what's going on? What do you mean?"

 

Shay shook her head sadly. 

"I am sorry, Shiro. I know no more than this: evil stirs in the trees. The lights will guide you back to the edge of the forest."

 

She vanished into thin air.

 

"Wait, wait, Shay! Wait! How- how did you know my name? And- _what lights?"_

 

The forest was cast into unnerving silence. He couldn't have imagined that, right?

 

Suddenly a bright light flared in front of him, and then another, and another, lighting a path through the trees. After the murky gloom of the forest, Shiro's eyes adjusted, revealing the source of the light. A trail of candles twisting through the undergrowth. His eyes widened. Those candles had not been there before.

 

And, just like that, this whole thing was _way_ too weird. He took off in a run, darting around the trees and leaping over fallen branches until he reached the cheerful daylight at the edge of the woods. His bike rested exactly where he had left it. The neighbour hood was peaceful.

 

Without a second thought, Shiro leapt on the bike and got to Keith's house as fast as humanly possible. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O.o  
> OH, HOW THE PLOT THICKENS! >:-)  
> Anyways, during the time I spent editing this I decided that I am nog going to switch the rating coz I thing 13+ fits? Hope that's ok with y'all and if you have questions regarding the rating, hmu on tumblr!  
> ~~~  
> So that was chapter five, my dudes! Very wow, much shook! Ahem. Hope ya liked it ;D 
> 
> Hey, I have tumblr! My voltron blog is @intergalacticspacelions! I also write for other fandoms including monster high and miraculous ladybug, so feel free to check my other stuff out ;)  
> I also do pinterest, my username is the same as here (kittychatnoir), on which I actually have boards for each character based on this fic!!
> 
> If you enjoyed, have questions or even theories on what could happen next, don't hesitate to leave a review or send me an ask on tumblr! I love hearing your thoughts so that's really welcomed :D 
> 
> Well, have a great day or night, and if it is 3am, drink some water and go get some sleep mkay


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor cackled and poked Keith in the side. The ghost's hand slipped right through him, sending an unpleasant cold sensation through him. "Mwahahaha! I found your true weakness: being exposed to bad singing at ungodly hours!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (^^ yeah this is slowly but surely turning into a crackfic xD)
> 
> Ahhhhh I'M BACK
> 
> (feel like this needs a warning sooo *****THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SWEARING PROBABLY*******)  
> ok it aint that bad  
> (idk)

Chapter Six

 

"Okay, you guys wait here, I'm gonna go talk to him."

 

"Wait, wait. Can you ask him how it feels to be a ghost? What it's like? Why he's here? What his motives are for staying at this house? How he died? Where he died? Why he doesn't-"

 

 _"Pidge!_ Chill. I'm going to _talk_  to him, not interrogate him. I'll ask him a couple of questions. Just leave it to me."

Hunk turned from the others and walked up the stairs. Half way up, he paused. 

"Um, Lotor?"

 

Someone emerged at a doorway across the landing and moved towards the staircase, flopping down dramatically on the top step.

 

"What?"

 

"Oh, um... hi! Wow, you don't look dead. God, sorry, that sounded rude. I just meant... most ghosts I see are kinda fuzzy, but you're not. Is that something to do with the harvest moon thingy? I thought that was yesterday?"

 

"Ah. You must be Hunk."

 

"Oh, yeah. That's me."

 

Lotor regarded him curiously. 

"You're Keith's friend?" he muttered. "Hmm. Keith doesn't seem like the kind of person to have friends. That boy, _honestly_ , of all the alive people I could haunt, I end up _here._  He has no sense of personal hygiene- have you _seen_ this place? It's a dump."

 

Hunk moved up the stairs slowly, cautiously sitting down a few steps below Lotor.

"If you hate it so much, why do you stay?"

 

The ghost sighed. "I can't leave. I died in this house a few months before Keith moved in, and apparently I have something to do before I can move on. No idea what _that_  is. I'll probably be stuck in this stupid house for the rest of my- ah, for a very long time."

 

"Oh. That sucks." Hunk bit his lip. "I kinda wouldn't wanna be stuck in a house with Keith. I mean, Keith is great, don't get me wrong. But I'm still not convinced that he has any food, other than cereal. That's weird, man."

 

"It _is_  weird. He still hasn't fixed that goddamn cupboard door, either."

 

"Hey, Lotor?"

 

"Mmhm?"

 

"Maybe PIDGE can help you. I mean, PIDGE the organisation, not Pidge the person. It's the Paranormal Investigations Department of Ghosts and... Eggs."

 

_"Eggs?"_

 

"Eggs."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Oh, we scramble 'em, we fry 'em... the ghosts love 'em."

 

"I... thought it was the Paranormal Investigations Department of Ghosts and _Exorcism."_ Lotor raised an eyebrow.

 

"Oh. Well. Yeah. I panicked, okay? I didn't wanna scare you with the 'exorcism' part. We don't really do exorcism. Pidge just wanted it to spell 'PIDGE'."

 

There was a sudden commotion from downstairs, which vaguely sounded like Lance falling off a chair.

 

"Lance!" Hunk groaned. "Not _again!_ Oh, jeez, he's chaotic."

 

Allura stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "Everything is okay!" she informed him. "Lance just-"

 

She stopped, her eyes widening.

"Wh- what- _wha-"_

 

"Is she okay?" Lotor whispered. "She can't _see_ me, can she?"

 

"You okay, Allura?" Hunk asked, ignoring Lotor.

 

"Yes, I _think_  so. I just wasn't expecting to be able to... see him."

 

Lotor blinked in surprise. "She _can_ see me?"

 

_"You can see him?"_

 

"A little. But no more than a vague kind of... shadow. It just surprised me, that's all."

 

The ghost smiled slowly. _"Oh._ This must be your little medium friend." The smile became a devilish grin. "Well, this should be fun."

 

"Oh, no," Hunk said, shaking his head. "No no no no no, don't you _dare-"_

 

Before he could say anything else, Lotor was down the stairs in a flash and kept running until he collided with Allura and then- he just _vanished._

 

Oh, _no._

 

This couldn't be happening. 

 

***

 

"Ooh, I've never possessed anyone before!" Lotor exclaimed. "This is _fun!"_

 

He turned around, trying to reorient himself in this new body, before facing Hunk again.

"Hey, I wonder if I can go outside now?"

 

Hunk ran down the stairs. "No, no, _no!_  Lotor, get the hell _out of her!_ Now!"

 

Lotor smiled. "But I want to go outside! Pretty please?"

 

"Absolutely not! You're not going anywhere. Not in Allura's body!"

 

"Hey, guys, what's going on?"

 

He turned to the kitchen door where he was faced with-

 

"I know you. You're Pidge! It's an honour to finally meet the esteemed founder of the exorcist society face to face. Even if it isn't my face. That's facing... your face. Oh, that was painful."

 

Pidge frowned. "Allura, what the-" 

Their face fell into an exasperated, flat sort of expression.

"Oh. _Lotor_. You should probably leave Allura alone, _before I make you leave her alone!"_

Stepping backwards, Lotor smirked.

"Wow, you're very angry for somebody so... _small."_

 

Pidge growled.

 

"Fine, fine, I'll go." He waved his- _Allura's_  hands in the air in mock surrender. "But this has been _real_ fun. We should do it again sometime!" Lotor laughed. "TTFN!"

 

Allura collapsed on the floor, shaking.

_"Wha-?"_

 

"Allura!" Pidge and Hunk cried in unison, dropping to the floor beside her.

 

"You okay?" Hunk asked. 

 

"I'm... I'm- _I'm going to kill Lotor!"_

Just in time to witness her sudden outburst, Keith left the kitchen to join them in the hallway. 

"Wow, that's one of the more relatable things I've heard today. Unfortunately, killing Lotor is impossible, due to the already being dead thing he's got going on. He possessed you, didn't he?"

 

Allura nodded.

 

Keith disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a glass of water.

"Here. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. Lotor and I will be having some serious conversations."

 

A barely audible sigh found its way down the stairs, and Allura laughed.

"That'll be fun for the both of you, I'm sure."

 

Keith grimaced. _"Sure."_

 

"Guys, I should be getting home. I have studying to do," Pidge sighed. They placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Read the rest of that book, okay? It might be helpful."

 

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Try not to fall off your bike. And- wear a goddamn helmet next time." 

 

Pidge laughed and opened the heavy front door, waving at the rest of them quickly before leaving the house and slamming the door behind them.

 

"How's Lance?" Hunk asked after a moment of silence.

 

"He fell off the chair. He's fine. He'll... be fine. I gave him ice. Make sure he gets home safe, okay?"

 

Hunk nodded. "Okay. What was he doing on the chair anyway?"

 

Shrugging, Keith rolled his eyes. "He's _Lance_. I have no idea."

 

"Right," Hunk laughed.

 

"Hey, did you find anything out from Lotor before he... y'know?"

 

"Yeah. He can't leave the house. He's stuck here, and he doesn't know why. That's about it, I think."

 

Keith nodded slowly, and Hunk headed to the kitchen to collect his friend.

 

"I should be getting back home as well," Allura said, slowly getting to her feet. "Good luck talking to Lotor."

 

"I'll need it. Do you want me to drive you home?"

 

"Thank you, Keith, but I'll be fine."

 

"You sure?" 

 

"I'm sure."

 

***

 

"What did he say?"

 

Lance groaned and flopped down onto his bed. "Ask me again in seventy years," he grumbled, voice muffled by the pillows. 

 

Hunk missed a beat, and then- "So, what did he say?"

 

Pulling another pillow over his head, Lance groaned again.

 

"Lance. What happened? Last time you were late, Sal said he'd kill you if you were late again. Well? Did he kill you?"

 

"My soul is dead."

 

"Okay, that's good! Do you still have a job?"

 

Should he tell Hunk? Morally, yeah, he should- they shared an apartment, and Lance payed half the rent, so Hunk had the right to know what was going on at work. But if he _did_ tell the truth, Hunk would most definitely tease him about it for the rest of their lives. 

 

Lance muttered something unintelligible into the pillow.

 

"What was that?" Hunk asked, mockery creeping into his voice. "Lance, what did Sal make you do this time?"

 

He groaned and removed the pillow from his face. 

"HesaidthatI'mgoingtolosemyjobifIdon'tservefivehundredpumpkinspicelattesbeforeHalloween!" Lance shouted in one go without breathing

 

Hunk took a minute to process it, but then gave an evil grin. _"Five hundred pumpkin spice lattes,_ huh? Wow, Lance, you've really done it this time."

 

Lance groaned, pulling the pillow over his head again.

 

"What does Shiro have to do?"

 

 _"Nothing!"_ Lance shouted. "Shiro has to do absolutely nothing, because Sal likes him more than me and- and- he had a good excuse. Y'know how he never showed up this morning? Apparently he got lost in the woods. _The woods round the back of that creepy house!_ That's all he said, but he looked kinda freaked out. I think something spooked him. I think he saw something."

 

"Whoa." Hunk frowned. "You think we should call him?"

 

"Nope. That little shit can serve tables like usual while I'm stuck in the back making five hundred fucking _pumpkin drinks!_ I hate my life. I'm going to smell of Halloween for a year!"

 

Hunk laughed. "Hey, that's not so bad. Plus, Halloween is... what, thirty five days from now? You can totally make five hundred lattes in thirty five days. That's, like, a little less than fifteen a day."

 

"But my shifts are usually only three hours!"

 

"How long does it take to make a latte?"

 

"I dunno, maybe... six or seven minutes? Or maybe, like, five? Four? I don't know."

 

"Let's call it five. That's twelve lattes in an hour, and thirty six lattes in three hours. Thirty six pumpkin lattes per one day at work is _way_ more than fifteen. You'll have probably served one thousand by Halloween."

 

"Hunk! It's all very well using fancy mathematics on me, but _not everyone will be ordering pumpkin spice lattes!_  What if two thirds of customers order cappuccinos and the other half order hot chocolate? _What then, huh?_  Bet you can't solve _that_ one with math, _huh?"_

 

"No, I can't, because two thirds plus one half makes a _little_  more than one hundred percent. Unless your customers have some freaky cloning system, something doesn't add up."

 

Lance groaned.

"I'm doomed. _Doomed!"_

 

"You're over dramatic, that's what you are. Lance, why don't you just advertise the stupid coffee? Ooh ooh ooh, we could have like a conference meeting thing in that building across from Sal's! Like a PIDGE open day, and the public can come ask questions about the organisation, and we could spark up some business! I know that Shiro and Pidge have been wanting to get something like this up and running for a while; we could have an office and a phone that people can call if they have ghosty problems, and it'll be fun!"

 

"...Not seeing what this has to do with my problem."

 

 

"You could serve coffee to everyone!"

 

"Are you serious?" Lance asked doubtfully. 

 

"Totally. It'll be awesome!"

 

Lance shrugged, and smiled.

"Fine, I guess. As long as I get to pick the music."

 

Hunk nodded. "Sure!" His face fell. "As long as you swear on your life not to pick the Ghostbusters theme song."

 

"What makes you say that?" Lance shot back with a grin. "The thought hadn't even crossed my mind."

 

They were quiet for a moment. 

 

"You're going to pick the Ghostbusters themesong, aren't you?"

 

"Yes. Yes, I am."

 

"I hate you."

 

Lance smiled. "I know."

 

***

 

"Okay. We're setting down some ground rules."

 

Lotor materialised in front of him, a look of horror on his face. Keith frowned.

 

"How do you _do_  that? I didn't see you at all yesterday. At least, not after the incident with... whatever. How come I see you now?"

 

The ghost shrugged. "No idea. Something went wrong."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I don't know. An imbalance in the Earth's energy, or something. This shouldn't be happening."

 

Lotor flickered a little, like a television with bad signal. He glanced at his hand, eyebrows raised. 

"This _definitely_  shouldn't be happening."

 

"Okay, so there's some weird stuff going on. But that doesn't mean you can just possess my  friends! Rule number one: no possessing people. Well, no possessing people without asking first. Got it?"

 

"Nope. I'm confused."

 

Keith sighed. "How are you confused? This is a very simple rule."

 

"No, no, I'm confused at the first bit. You said I can't possess your friends. Which ones are your friends again?"

 

"Lotor, don't be stupid. You know exactly-"

 

 _"Oh,_  you mean Allura, and the others?" 

He waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft. I don't think they're your _friends_. Teammates, maybe. But- _friends?_ Nah, I'm not convinced."

 

"Wha- friends is a relative term. Just because we don't-"

 

"I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but you never see them outside of your silly little hobby, do you? You don't- I don't know- watch movies or sleep at each other's houses or paint each other's nails."

 

_"Paint each other's-?"_

"The only person you _really_  spend time with is... well... no one. Wow, Keith, you really have no one!"

 

"Yeah, and we're very happy together, so stay out of it!" Keith shot back.

 

Lotor smiled innocently. "You have me."

 

"You're not my friend."

 

The smile dropped. "Nah, I didn't think so. Seriously though, you should spend some bonding time with those so called friends of yours."

 

"You are very annoying," Keith remarked. "Did I ever tell you that?"

 

"At least twice a day. And that's before you even met me. Hey, how about... what's his name? The one who fell of the chair."

 

Keith frowned, puzzled. "Lance? What about him?"

 

"He seems friendly. You could spend some time with him."

 

"Very funny, Lotor. Let's move on. As I was _saying_ , rule number one, no possessing people without permission. Okay? Number two, no Disney songs. Rule number three, _no songs of any kind._ Rule number four, no judging my lifestyle choices. If you want to dust the shelves, be my guest."

 

"Okay. But I have a slight corporeality issue."

 

"Number four. Or was it five? Nevermind. Number five, no talking to me unless it's very important. Number six, no hiding in my cupboard and jumping out at me. I will not hesitate to slit your throat."

 

"Okay, but again, slight problem with-"

 

"And number seven, if you change channels on the TV, I'll need to make some calls with a few exorcists I happen to know. It stays on the news channel. No My Little Pony. No soap operas. No Disney channel."

 

_"What is your problem with Disney, freak?"_

 

Keith took a step back. "Jeez, calm down. I happen to be a big Disney fan, actually. I have a Mickey Mouse baseball cap. I mean, I wouldn't have bought myself a Mickey Mouse baseball cap. That was Shiro. For some reason he has a load of snapbacks and stuff. We don't ask about it. The point is, I have no problem with Disney."

 

"Then why-"

 

"However, I have a _big_ problem with you singing Disney at two in the morning. The reasoning for rule seven is actually the fact that the aerial is shit and changing channels throws the whole system off."

 

Lotor threw his arms in the air and flopped down on the bottom step. 

"I hate you."

 

"Okay. The list of rules could change at any given time, so keep that in mind."

 

The ghost grinned. "How about a deal? I promise not to sing _anything_ for a week if you ask Lance on a date?"

 

Keith laughed. _"What?_  Are you crazy? That's ridiculous."

 

"I'm serious. Ask Lance on a date and wear the Mickey Mouse hat, and I won't sing for a week. You have my word."

 

"Wait." Keith's face fell. "Oh my god, you really aren't joking. Oh my god."

 

He sighed and buried his face in his hands.

 _"Fine,"_  he muttered, sitting beside Lotor on the step. "I'll ask Lance on a date. But I just want you to know that I hate you. Why do you like singing so much anyway? You don't come across as somebody who sings. That is, until you... y'know... sing."

 

"I'm not. I actually hate singing. I do it because it annoys you. I thought we'd established this already?"

Lotor cackling and poked Keith in the side. The ghost's hand slipped right through him, sending an unpleasant cold sensation through him. _"Mwahahaha! I found your true weakness: being exposed to bad singing at ungodly hours!"_

 

Keith grimaced, shifting away from Lotor.

 _"Rule number eight:_ no touching me, ever. It feels weird. Oh, and by the way?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I hate you."

 

Lotor smiled. "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY MOLY I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WRITING KEITH AND LOTOR'S RELATIONSHIP IN THIS
> 
> I MEAN THEY HATE EACH OTHER BUT I LOVE HOW IT'S GROWING 
> 
> omg im ok i promise i just love these idiots 
> 
> But srsly I genuinely had waaay too much fun writing this chapter hahaha  
> ~~~
> 
> I'm @intergalacticspacelions on tumblr if you wanna talk voltron! ;D  
> My pinterest is kittychatnoir, and the characters from voltron have boards there based on ISRTY. Hope you liked this chapter, and see ya soon!! :) 
> 
> Meehh next chapter isn't that exciting, it's.. heh... awkward! But it still contributes to the plot, so *shrugs*


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You- oh, my god." Shiro took a deep breath to calm down. "Everyone's been waiting for you guys to get together for ages. We placed bets and everything. It's pretty hilarious. You guys are so oblivious."
> 
> Keith shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe I'm friends with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyee im back  
> So this chapter isn't particularly exciting, but it's relatively important in regards to plot and stuff, so yeah :P also *cough *klance*cough* ahem sorry what? 
> 
> annnnnyways, hope ya like this chapter! :D 
> 
> ****warning!!!!! This chapter contains swearing and... um... awkward voicemails****

Chapter Seven 

 

"Why did I agree to this again? Rule number three very clearly stated that singing is banned. I don't see why I have to jump through ridiculous hoops to get you to  _shut up._  It is my house, after all. If you can't deal with my rules, well, like I said before: I do  _happen_  to know some exorcists."

 

Silence.

 

"Lotor, for fuck's sake, I know you're listening."

 

Keith stared at the phone in his hand, flipping the cover anxiously. 

 

"Hey, enough of the silent treatment. Stop ignoring me, you little shit."

 

Nothing.

 

"Fine, fine. I'll call him."

 

He flipped the phone open one last time and selected Lance's contact. 

 

_"Hey! It's ya boi Lance, except I'm probably asleep or in the shower or breaking into a house or in the astral plane or something so leave a message after the bleep! Uh, bleep! Haha."_

"Oh. This is voicemail. Your voicemail- you, Lance, who I am calling. It's me, Keith, your- I am your... uh... your- person... who you know, who is called Keith. Heh, that's me. Um, anyways, I guess it's time for me to leave a message now, so, um, call me back, I guess. Or don't, if you don't want to. I mean, it would be good if you did, but you don't have to if you don't want to. But I have to ask you something. It isn't urgent, I was just wondering if you, Lance, wanted to... uh, come on a da- ... a  _thing_ with me, Keith. Me. I'm Keith. But you knew that already. At least, I hope you do. I didn't mean 'thing', I just mean... a thing, which could involve us seeing each other. Somewhere. I don't know, haha... I did not think this through. Oh god, please just call me back. Or maybe send someone to assassinate me. That might be preferable. Bye."

 

Keith groaned and snapped the phone shut, throwing it carelessly onto the coffee table. He flopped onto the sofa and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the assassin to  _hurry the heck up_ because what the actual  _hell_  was that message? What? What was it? What-

 

 _"That,"_  Lotor declared, having suddenly appeared next to him. "Was  _lame."_

 

"Fuck off," Keith muttered into the cushions. 

 

"You should really watch your language. And get a new phone. Honestly, I wouldn't expect you to have anything other than a flip phone. Still a little disappointed in you, though. Also, what  _was_  that? You could have just said, 'oh, hi Lance, call me back when you get this, bye!' but oh no, you do  _that?_  What  _was_  that?"

 

"Go. Away. I panicked, okay? I've never had to leave that kind of phone message before!"

 

Lotor snorted with laughter. "And I hope, for your sake, you won't ever have to again. He's not going to call back."

 

Keith's phone rang. 

 

"Eh, guess I was wrong."

 

_"I can't answer that!"_

 

"Fine. Let it go to voicemail; then maybe Lance can teach you a thing or to about leaving appropriately lengthed and non-awkward messages. Hmm?"

 

***

 

_"-it recording yet? Oh, um, hi. It's... Keith, I guess. I'm not here. Or I'm ignoring you. If I am, you probably deserve it. Anyway, leave a message after the bleep. Or don't, whatever. So, uh, bye! Is it still recording? Has it stop-"_

 

Lance snorted at Keith's stupid voicemail recording- _'Keith, I guess'? Was he having some kind of confusion there?_ \- but managed to maintain a calm tone after the bleep.

 

"Keith, hey. Got your message. That was some crazy Shakespearean shit right there, man. My soul has been enlightened. Haha, anyway, I think this so called 'thing' you're talking about is often referred to as a 'date'! It's what all the cool kids are doing these days. So, sure, I'm listening. I guess I'd be willing to go on a date with you, if you really want. Call me. Or, y'know, text, if you're too embarrassed. Or I can text you, whatever." He laughed. "Okay, well, I'll see you round."

 

He hung up and winced a little. Oh, man, that was awkward. But it wasn't as awkward as Keith's message, so it would probably be fine. Lance punched in Hunk's number, and waited for him to pick up.

 

"Hey, Hunk, where are you? I need support."

 

_"You always need support. I'm at the library with Pidge. I've been at the library with Pidge since you called the first time. I was at the library with Pidge when you called the second time. And the third, and the fourth- jeez, can't you just handle spending two hours at home on your own? Did we not watch that movie with the kid? He handled it like sixty percent better than you are handling it, and he had some freaky murderers after him."_

"I'm pretty sure they were robbers or something, not murderers. Whatever, I'm in a  _literal crisis!"_

 

_"Are there freaky murderers after you?"_

 

"No!"

 

_"You'll be fine."_

 

"Keith asked me on a date!" he shouted down the phone. 

 

Lance heard Pidge cackling in the background on Hunk's end, along with what sounded like "Hunk, you owe me twenty dollars."

 

 _"What?_  Did I just hear that? Oh my god, you guys placed _bets?_  About _me_  and _Keith?_  What the quiznak is wrong with you?!"

 

_"Pidge, shut up, he wasn't supposed to know about that! Um, no, of course not, we would never- who am I kidding. Yeah, we did. I said it would be between November and Christmas but Pidge was convinced that it would be before Halloween. Shiro, of course, had absolutely no participa-"_

 

"Hunk, you traitor! I need your help!"

 

_"What's up?"_

"Keith asked me on a date!"

 

_"I know. You said. What do you want me to do about it?"_

 

"Kill me! I can't go on a date with Keith. We hate each other."

 

 _"No you don't,"_  Pidge said into Hunk's phone. _"You guys have been basically pining for three months."_

 

"Um, no, we have not!"

 

_"You have."_

 

_"-ve me my phone back. Pidge is right, you know. You guys have been totally waiting for the other to make the first move for ages."_

 

"Oh, we have? Why didn't anyone tell me? I would have paid more attention."

 

***

 

_"Okay, well, I'll see you round."_

 

Keith replayed Lance's message for the sixth time. How did he sound so cool and casual and relaxed?

 

"Hmm, he certainly pulled it off better than you did, didn't he?"

 

"Rule number five, no talking to me unless it's very important. Go away, Lotor."

 

"What are you going to do?"

 

"Huh? Oh. Um. Text him? I don't know. Call him? No way. Sit here and pray he texts me first? Highly likely."

 

"Hmm. That's boring. You're so embarrassing, I can't handle this any more."

Lotor disappeared. 

 

And then Keith's phone bleeped. He checked it apprehensively.

 

**LANCE: hey, do you like pumpkin spice lattes?**

 

Keith smiled, despite himself.

 

**KEITH: I wouldn't know. I've never tried one. Why do you ask?**

**LANCE: you see, there's this AMAZING diner called Vrepit Sal's. Sounds kinda dodge but it's great i swear**

**KEITH: Isn't that where you and Shiro work?**

**LANCE: ha... funny that you'd mention that.. ha.... see, I maaaaay have gotten into a teensy bit of trouble which might involve me having to sell several hundred pumpkin spice lattes in a very short period of time....... Anyway it would be p cool if I could.... u know... sell a couple......... ;)**

**KEITH: Sounds like you're asking me to have coffee with you.**

**LANCE: whattt????!!?! What on earth gave u that idea,!?@?@.!??!**

**LANCE: see u tomorrow at 2**

**KEITH: Do I get a say in this? What if I'm busy?**

**LANCE: youre not.**

**KEITH: ouch.**

 

Keith laughed and dropped the phone. _Wow._  That was a lot easier than he had thought it would be. He made a mental note to just text next time rather than leave a stupidly long and horribly awkward-

 _next time._ Had he really just thought that? He was only doing this because of his household ghost's stupid bribe, right? But... he didn't _have_ to do this. Did he seriously _want_ there to be a next time? And with _Lance,_  of all people. The same person who'd called him 'Keratin' just last week. _Which had been due to a magical energy imbalance in a paranormal hotspot because of a wacky legend about a specific full moon._  Oh, what a strange month it had been.

 

***

 

 _There had to be more to it._ Okay, there was some legend about the harvest moon- which he'd read up on since, of course- but that didn't explain what had happened in the forest. Okay, the fabrics of reality were thin at this time of year. The autumn equinox, the harvest moon, Halloween coming up- it kind of made sense. But it always went back to normal, right? Not this year. It seemed as if the alleged fabrics of reality weren't just thinned, but _ripped._  Maybe they were broken for good; maybe the path between the spirit world and that of the living was _crushed._  Non-existent. They were one and the same now. Perhaps, soon, the dead would walk among the living for real. Shiro shuddered. He didn't want to think about it. 

 

_"My name is Shay. I died in these woods seven years ago. I haven't seen sunlight since."_

He didn't want to think about it. But he couldn't _stop_ thinking about it. 

 

"Hey. You okay?"

 

Shiro glanced up to see Lance balancing a tray of coffees.

"Yeah. I'm... fine. How many have you sold?"

 

"Six." Lance looked devastated. 

 

"Oh. Don't worry, you'll get there. That's already 0.012%. Great job!"

 

"How did you work that out so quickly?"

 

"I worked out the percentage of every number out of five hundred so I could motivate you with percentage milestones and inspirational speeches."

 

_"What?"_

 

"Lance, I'm literally holding a calculator, you dumbass."

 

Lance laughed. "Thanks, Shiro. That helps."

 

"What, the calculator?"

 

"No, just- I don't know. You always know what to say. I gotta get these to table five, okay? Then I'm back to making some more goddamn pumpkin drinks."

 

 

"Okay," Shiro laughed. "Try not to do anything stupid."

 

As Lance walked away, Shiro glanced up at the door. Someone had opened it, and he recognised their stupid hair. It took a minute for his brain to catch up before he realised that it was Keith. Which didn't make much sense, because Keith never came to the diner. Keith spotted him and waved, walking over to the counter.

 

"Hey, Shiro. Is Lance here?"

 

Shiro tried to keep a straight face. He'd been updated about the current situation from Pidge, who was apparently $50 richer from the experience. Which he had absolutely _nothing_  to do with, of course.

 

"Uh, his shift ends in five minutes. Would you like a menu?" He laughed a little then because it was so damn _funny,_ but swiftly turned it into a cough. Keith totally didn't notice.

 

"That's some cough you got there," Keith said, an eyebrow raised, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Maybe you should see a doctor about that."

 

He laugh/coughed again. "So sorry, I just-" Shiro gave up trying to keep a straight face and burst into some kind of mad fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just- so- oh, my god, I can't-" 

He slammed his hand on the counter, practically in hysterics. Several people were staring now. 

 

Keith glared at him.  _"What's so fucking funny?"_ he hissed.

 

"You- oh, my god." Shiro took a deep breath to calm down. "Everyone's been waiting for you guys to get together for ages. We placed bets and everything. It's pretty hilarious. You guys are so oblivious."

 

Keith shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe I'm friends with you."

 

*** 

 

Lance watched in confusion as Shiro, for some unknown reason, cackled like a maniac. He saw Keith death glare Shiro before sitting down at a booth seat in the corner. Lance moved casually towards Keith's seat, glancing at Shiro as he did so, who immediately covered his face with his hand, apparently trying to avoid further laughing fits.

 

He rolled his eyes and finally reached Keith's table.

"Hello there! Welcome to Vrepit Sal's. My name's Lance and I'm gonna be your waiter today! What can I get for you?"

 

Keith smirked. "Nice apron."

 

"Shut up," Lance smiled enthusiastically, "and make your goddamn order."

 

"Okay, okay. I'll take two pumpkin spice lattes, and maybe some cookies or something, I don't know. Pumpkin pie? What do you guys serve?"

 

"We do pumpkin pie. It's very good. We also have cookies, and muffins, and icecream, and- should I bring a bit of everything?"

 

Keith smiled. "Sure, why not?"

 

When Lance returned to the table with a tray, he tore off the apron and slid into the seat opposite Keith.

"Shift's over. How's it going?"

 

"Not bad. You?"

 

"Well, I still have four hundred and ninety two lattes to sell before Halloween, but I'm sure everything is fine."

 

Keith laughed. "Right. Well, good luck with that. Hey, this looks so good. What should I eat first?"

 

"Have a cookie. I made them. They're awesome, just like me."

 

"Yeah, sure. I didn't realise you actually make stuff. I thought you just served?"

 

"Yeah, I did, but I got promoted a couple of weeks ago, so I can actually work in the kitchen now. I'm not great at making anything other than coffee or cookies, but that works for me."

 

"That's awesome." Keith picked up a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite. His eyes widened. "Lance, _this_ is awesome! Did you really make this? It's amazing. How-?"

 

"No! I will not share my cookie making secrets."

 

"Fair enough," Keith laughed. "I won't push you to spill the beans. Uh, cookies. Whatever."

 

"Hey, Keith?"

 

"Mm?"

 

"Can I ask you a question?"

 

"Sure."

 

"Why did you call me in the first place?"

 

Keith winced. "Oh. Uh, do you want to here the honest answer?"

 

"Lotor bribed you into it, didn't he?"

 

"How did you guess?"

 

"Ha. That guy's predictable. It's totally cool, by the way. I don't mind. It was just a little unexpected, that's all."

 

"Unexpected...?"

 

Lance smiled. "But not unwelcome. I really-... you know, I'm saving your voicemail message for ever. Blackmail material."

 

 _"I hate you._  How's your face?"

 

"Are we referring to the elbow incident or the chair incident?"

 

Keith laughed. "Both."

 

"Hmm. My face is fine. Thank you to your concern," Lance laughed. He stared across the table at Keith. "Drink the coffee," he whispered.

 

"I'm nervous. What if you're trying to poison me?"

 

"I'm pretty sure that's not the goal of coffee dates, but whatever."

 

"What  _is_  the goal?" Keith asked, lifting the cup, but not drinking.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"What is the goal of coffee dates?"

 

"Oh." Lance chewed his lip. "Maybe... maybe the goal is... I don't know, to... test the waters?" He shrugged. "And... um... find out if the... person in question would be interested in a second date?"

 

Keith raised his eyebrows, raised the cup to his lips. "Oh, really? And who might the person in question be?"

 

"I... _Keith,_  it- you're- you, you moron," Lance stammered.

 

Apparently satisfied with this answer, Keith nodded, finally sipping the coffee. 

 

 _"Keith!_  Aren't you going to respond?"

 

"To what?"

 

_"To me very obviously asking you to go on a second date!"_

 

He took another sip of coffee and laughed. "Sorry, it's more fun to keep you waiting. Yes, Lance, I'd... like to. Go somewhere with you. I mean, we hardly see each other except on ghost hunts, and occasionally at the college, and... I think we should. See each other. More. So... like-... yeah." Keith shrugged. "Why do people put pumpkin in coffee anyway? I mean, it isn't _bad,_  but... who even came up with that?"

 

Lance laughed. "I have _no_  clue. Hey, so Hunk had an idea."

 

"Not... sure I like where this is going..?"

 

"Hey, I'm being serious. Listen, we kinda came up with a plan to sell more coffee."

 

 _"Definitely_  not liking where this is going."

 

"It involves renting out that big hall thingy across the street from here and having a PIDGE day. PIDGE the organisation, not Pidge the person. Like an open day! And the general public can come to ask questions and stuff and we can do a presentation with fun music and we can use it to kickstart the organisation's official opening. As in, we have an office and an official phone number and we don't have to break into houses anymore! We could get like... a license, or something."

 

"Wow. That sounds... that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. But... I don't see what this has to do with coffee."

 

"Oh, and I'll serve coffee. We still have to ask Shiro and Pidge- Pidge the person, not the organisation- and we can see if Allura wants to join us, but I doubt that after the Lotor thing. Either way, I think it'll be awesome!"

 

"It sounds pretty cool. But... will it work? I mean, people might not even take it seriously. Lots of people don't believe in ghosts."

 

"Have you even  _watched_ Ghostbusters, Keith? They pulled it off. Why can't we?"

 

"I'm pretty sure that's fiction. And anyway, I haven't seen it. I know the song, though."

 

_"Keith-"_

 

"My point is, a good portion of people don't think ghosts exist."

 

"But we know they do."

 

Keith nodded. "Yeah. But we still need to prove that."

 

"We have evidence. You take photos, right?"

 

"Yeah... but in other people's eyes, they could have easily been photoshopped."

 

"Well, maybe we should film the ghosts instead? You can't photoshop videos."

 

"Lance, how the fuck do you think CGI and special effects work?"

 

"Ah." Lance chewed on his nails thoughtfully. "Can I at least see your photos?"

 

"Sure. I have some from last week that I haven't developed yet. We can go to my house now if you want." Keith got out his wallet and slipped Lance twenty dollars. "That covers it, right?"

 

"Yeah, but I can-"

 

"Nope. Let's go."

 

He sighed. _"Fine._ But I'm paying next time." 

 

"Fine," Keith replied, smirking.

 

 Lance pointed to the remaining cookies and pumpkin pie. "Want me to get a bag for that?" 

 

Keith nodded, and Lance went behind the counter to get a paper bag, before returning to fill it and hand it to Keith. They headed towards the door.

 

As Lance opened the door, he heard Shiro laugh behind them.

 

"Taking him home on your first date?" Shiro shouted after them, earning two death glares. "I expected better of you, Keith!"

 

Rolling his eyes, Keith took Lance by the wrist and dragged him out into the chilly September air. "He's so annoying," Keith muttered.

 

"I know, right?" Lance sighed dramatically, feeling himself smile despite Shiro's teasing. "I'm only letting him off this time because of his traumatic experience. I think it messed him up a little. That's probably not even the real Shiro. Maybe he got possessed? I don't know. But either way, I think-"

 

"Wait. Traumatic... experience? What do you mean- what happened?"

 

Lance's eyes widened. "You don't know? Oh. He got lost in the woods round the back of the house we went to last week. That's why he didn't show up at your house yesterday. And... he saw somebody. A ghost. He said her name was Shay. But, like, he could _see_  her. Properly. It freaked him out."

 

"Wow. That's really weird. Did she say anything to him?" Keith asked him, frowning.

 

"Yeah. Something about the forest being dangerous and the trees breeding darkness and misery or some shit. It's _messed up,_  man. And then there were these candles- I don't even know."

 

"Maybe we should go to the woods? Check it out before we go back to my house?"

 

Lance narrowed his eyes. Did Keith not just hear the story about the freaky stuff that went down in those very woods he _now wanted to go to?_ What a moron.

 _"Keith_. Are you crazy?  Did you- did I not just tell you the story about the freaky stuff that-"

 

"Yeah, but if there are two of us, we'll probably-"

 

"You _are_  crazy. That's _insane_. Let's do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmaooo
> 
> I honestly don't know why I do this. I got flipping second hand embarrassment whilst editing this xD
> 
> Anyway. Hope you liked it! My tumblr is intergalacticspacelions, feel free to find me there! My pinterest is kittychatnoir, and I have boards for each of the characters in this fic (except lotor but I'm working on it haha)
> 
> Also, as always, comments and feedback = amazing and very appreciated!! Thank y'all for all of your support for this, I honestly couldn't do it without you guys T_T 
> 
> xD so yeah have an awesome day and make sure to drink some water if ur binge reading this plz ;)


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